Construction of aqua line extension to Greater Noida west may begin this year

NOIDA: Construction of the first phase of Aqua Line’s extension towards Greater Noida (west) is likely to begin this year itself. A revised detailed project report of the five stations on the route has been approved by the state government. It has now been sent to the Centre for a final nod.

Officials in the Noida Metro Rail Corporation (NMRC) are expecting the Centre’s approval by the end of November. That will pave the way for construction to begin in December.

Three companies have already shown interest in the technical bids that were floated recently. One of them — M/s GR Infraprojects Limited, M/s SAM (India) Builtwell Private Limited and M/s Ashoka Buildcon Limited — would be chosen after the project is approved by the Union government. “The civil tenders have been floated and the technical evaluation is nearly complete. Only the financial bidding is left. We can begin construction as soon as the approval comes,” said Manoj Vajpayee, general manager (technical) at NMRC.

The DPR of Aqua Line’s extension to Greater Noida (west) had to be revised after the Centre raised questions on the previous one. “We have revised it and sent it to the Centre again. The state government has already approved it,” said a spokesperson for NMRC. He added that the Centre had been requested to expedite the approval process so that construction could begin at the earliest. The 15km-long Aqua Line extension is being built at a cost of Rs 1,100 crore. It will have a total of nine stations, all of which will be elevated. These stations will branch out from the existing Sector 51.

The route will take metro connectivity into a developing area that has seen a significant rise in population in recent years because thousands of flats held up over various litigations are being delivered now. Metro connectivity is crucial because public transport here is scarce and residents have to depend on private cars for moving around.

The five stations in the first phase are sectors 122, 123, Greater Noida Sector 4, Ecotech 12 and Greater Noida Sector 2. Although the DPR has projected a footfall of 50,000, officials have raised questions on the figure. The existing Aqua Line route currently sees 12,000 passengers on an average daily.

NMRC, meanwhile, will also be working on another extension of Aqua Line — towards Bodaki. This will have only three stations after Depot and will cover another 6km. Officials said this extension, too, had been approved by the board of Greater Noida Authority and sent to the state cabinet for approval. However, the DPR for the new metro line from Sector 142 to Botanical Garden still needs a nod.