The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the ongoing metro rail project for connecting Noida to Greater Noida, thus, clearing the way for allotment of the Central share of fund to the ambitious project. The line is estimated to cost Rs 5,503 crore. It will have 22 stations, of which 13 will be constructed at-grade while seven will be elevated.
Called ‘Aqua line’, the upcoming metro would connect with the Delhi Metro’s main grid via the Blue line, through an interchange at Sector 52 Metro station on the Noida City Centre to Sector 62 corridor, which is being built simultaneously.
The work on the Aqua line has already been started. Till date, 70 per cent civil work has been completed. Originally assessed at interchange Rs 200 crore per kilometre, the actual cost of the project could eventually be around interchange Rs 150 crore a kilometre or even less. Delhi Metro’s Phase 3 is being built at a cost of Rs 552 crore per kilometre.
Top sources told The Pioneer that the trials on the corridor will be conducted in December this year and the link will be operational by April 2018. It is estimated to have a ridership of 2.30 lakh a day which will rise to 4 lakh by 2031. The work on this stretch was started by the Uttar Pradesh Government in October 2014. The Government had appointed the Delhi Metro as the turnkey consultant for the project.
A Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) called the Noida Metro Rail Corporation (NMRC) was formed to implement the project. The detailed project report (DPR) was prepared by the Delhi Metro which is building this line on behalf of the NMRC.
As per project details, the Aqua line will begin at Noida City Centre in Sector 32, and head towards Greater Noida via stations in Sectors 50, 51, 78, 101, 81, on the Dadri road, 83, 85, 137, 142, 143, 144, 147, 153 and sector 149 in Noida. It will enter Greater Noida through Knowledge Park-II and traverse Pari Chowk, Sector-Alpha 1 and 2, before terminating at Depot station proposed near recreational green, Knowledge Park-IV in Greater Noida. The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet had approved the project and forwarded the DPR to Government of India in October 2013.
The Central Government and UP Government will each bear 20 percent of the costs and loans from external agencies would be taken to fund the rest 60 per cent of the project. The 20 per cent funding from UP will be shared by Noida and Greater Noida Authorities, based on the length of track that passes through the two areas.
According to officials, the Aqua line is not only the fastest track to be put into place but is most economical. It normally takes around 3 years to put up an elevated track. The work on the stretch was also progressing fast as there is no land acquisition issue on the stretch. land acquisition has been one of the major problems in Delhi Metro phase 3.
All 21 stations, the train depot, and the NMRC offices will be powered by solar energy. The NMRC will install solar panels on the rooftops of all stations, footbridges, its main office building, the depot and parking lot boundary walls to generate an estimated 12 MW of solar power daily.