Union Home Minister Amit Shah will visit Ahmedabad on Sunday, 28 September 2026, for three back-to-back programmes, including the inauguration of a WAG-12 locomotive maintenance shed and the historic flag-off of India's first LNG-powered train from Sabarmati railway station. The railway projects are part of a package worth more than ₹1,542 crore in the Ahmedabad area.

Schedule of the Visit

Shah's day will begin at 10 a.m. at Shela, Ahmedabad, where he will attend a programme marking the 92nd birth anniversary of Acharya Padmasagar Surishwarji Maharaj. He will then proceed to the Sabarmati locomotive shed at 11 a.m. for the inauguration of the WAG-12 maintenance shed. The final event is scheduled at Sabarmati railway station at 11:30 a.m., where he will inaugurate station development works and flag off the country's first LNG-powered train.

WAG-12 Shed: What It Is and Why It Matters

The WAG-12 maintenance shed has been developed at an estimated cost of around ₹700 crore, and is designed to home and service 300 WAG-12 HHP electric locomotives. Each locomotive carries a capacity of approximately 12,000 HP and is engineered for hauling heavy and long freight trains — a critical component of India's freight corridor expansion. As of the inauguration, 154 WAG-12 locomotives are already stationed at the shed, with the full fleet of 300 targeted by 2027-28.

India's First LNG-Powered Train

The LNG train initiative marks a significant step in Indian Railways' push toward cleaner fuel alternatives. The project involves two 1,400 HP Driving Power Cars (DPCs) converted to a diesel-plus-LNG dual-fuel system, with more than 2,000 km of field trials already completed. The system allows LNG to partially replace diesel while retaining diesel as a backup fuel, reducing emissions without compromising operational reliability. This is the first time such a dual-fuel configuration has been deployed on an Indian passenger or freight service at a launch scale.

Full Scope of the ₹1,542 Crore Package

Beyond the WAG-12 shed and LNG train, the broader project package encompasses several capacity and safety upgrades across the Ahmedabad Division. These include the automatic block signalling system across 122.57 km, commissioned at an estimated cost of ₹118.83 crore; the 21-km Sabarmati–Sarkhej railway line doubling project, estimated at ₹313.27 crore and targeted for completion by March 2028; and the indigenously developed Kavach train protection system being deployed across 404 km on the Ahmedabad–Palanpur and Ahmedabad–Samakhiyali sections at an estimated cost of ₹411 crore. Notably, Kavach — India's home-grown automatic train collision avoidance system — has been at the centre of railway safety discourse following several high-profile incidents in recent years, making its expansion a politically and operationally significant move.

Broader Context

The Gujarat visit reflects a continuing pattern of senior central government ministers inaugurating infrastructure projects in the state, which is also the home constituency of both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shah himself. The concentration of rail investment in the Ahmedabad Division signals the Centre's intent to build out western India's freight and passenger corridor ahead of broader economic targets. All projects are expected to be closely watched by industry bodies tracking Indian Railways' decarbonisation and capacity commitments.