The country’s first Multi-Modal Transport Hub (MMTH) project will be ready by December 2026 if all goes as per plan. Touted to be the only such project in the country, it will see a seamless integration of railway, interstate bus, metro and city bus service. It will also have direct connectivity to bullet trains and airports as well. Initially, the project was announced in 2016 but due to various reasons it failed to take off.
After the initiative of Rs 878 crore worth, however, the first phase of the basic structure is finally getting visible. The construction of two segments of the project — east side of Surat railway station, and the bus terminal on the previous GSRTC bus depot — are now visible.
“The project took time to take off due to various reasons. But now, it is being developed at a good speed and we are aiming to complete it by December 2026,” said Manoj Garg, MD of Surat Integrated Transportation Corporation Limited (Sitco).
“The project will be the same as it claimed. It will be the country’s only such project where such a transport integration will be executed,” said Manoj Das, chairman, SITCO.
A special purpose vehicle, Sitco, has been formed to execute Surat MMTH. The Rail Land Development Authority of the Union railways ministry, Gujarat State Road Development Corporation Ltd and Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) are part of it.
The second phase of the project is likely to kick start from February 2024. The second phase will be executed at the cost of around Rs 500 crore. “Government bodies have joined hands to develop the main structure from the ground and execute it quickly. Private parties can join later for development of next phases on PPP mode,” added Das.
