The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)

Soon, Delhi Airport to be a Metro ride away for Noida & Gr Noida residents

SOON, RESIDENTS of Noida and Greater Noida can expect better connectivi­ty to the Delhi Airport, as well as other parts of the national capital, with an 11-kmlong extension of the Aqua Line Metro corridor being approved by the Uttar Pradesh Cabinet Tuesday.

The Cabinet approved the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the proposed extension, which will start from Sector 142 and go to the Botanical Garden in Noida.

Officials said this extension of the Noida Metro will provide convenient and hassle-free direct connectivi­ty to the Indira Gandhi Internatio­nal Airport (Terminal 1) via the Magenta

Line of the Delhi Metro. It will also connect to major Indian Railways stations in Delhi through the Blue Line.

Lokesh M, Managing Director of Noida Metro Rail Corporatio­n (NMRC) Limited, said this corridor will provide seamless connectivi­ty to all commuters travelling from Noida-greater Noida towards Delhi and vice-versa.

“It has an expected ridership of approximat­ely 80,000 in the initial stage. The Botanical Garden station will become a big interchang­e station for three lines. Following this approval, the next crucial step involves forwarding the DPR to the Government of India for final approval and funding,” he said.

A total of eight stations — Botanical Garden, Noida Sector 44, Noida Office, Noida Sector 97, Noida Sector 105, Noida Sector 108, Noida Sector 93 and Panchsheel Balak Inter College — will come up under the project (see map). The route will end at the existing Noida Sector 142 station.

Botanical Garden will serve as an interchang­e station between NMRC’S Aqua Line and Delhi Metro’s Magenta and Blue Lines.

It will cover a total length of 11.56 km and the estimated cost of the project is Rs 2,254.35 crore.

The new Metro corridor is also expected to address the growing demand for public transporta­tion in the city.

The NMRC had entrusted the Delhi Metro Rail Corporatio­n to prepare the DPR of the 11.56-km Metro extension corridor.