Noida Metro officials, residents discuss proposed Aqua Line route extension

Top officials of the Noida Metro Rail Corporation (NMRC) met representatives of residents, villagers and other stakeholders on Saturday to discuss the route for proposed Aqua Line Metro extension between Sector 142 and Botanical Garden.

Sector 142 Metro station lies on the 29.71-kilometre long Aqua Line of the NMRC, while Botanical Garden Metro station is on Blue Line of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC).

The proposed 11-km Metro link will provide connectivity to industrial and residential areas located along the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway. The Botanical Garden station also serves as NCR’s first interchange station, linking commuters to Blue Line (Noida City Centre to Dwarka Sector 21) and the Janakpuri West-Botanical Garden corridor.

The meeting was headed by Ritu Maheshwari, chairman of NMRC who is also the chief executive officer (CEO) of the Noida authority.

“A revised detailed project report (DPR) for the Aqua Line Metro extension from Sector 142 to Botanical Garden has been prepared. During the review of DPR, it was felt to revisit the alignment of Sector 142 to Botanical Garden to cater to the needs of the more populated areas. The route was reviewed by the officers of Noida authority, NMRC and DMRC and some options were found appropriate for providing better connectivity, which were further consulted with the stakeholders in Saturday’s meeting,” said an official statement from the NMRC.

Three options of routes were discussed with the stakeholders. “The first option is the route along Noida-Greater Noida Expressway with stations at Sector 91, Sector 98, Sector 97, Sector 125 and Botanical Garden. The second option will have stations at Panchsheel Balak Inter College, Sector 93, Sector 108/105, Sector 104/98, Sector 45/44 and Botanical Garden. The third option will have stations at Panchsheel Balak Inter College, Sector 93, Janpath Marg, Sector 104/98, Sector 45/44 and Botanical Garden”, the statement said.

“It has been opined by maximum residents that route option two connecting Sectors 93, 108,105, 104, 100, 98, 45, 44 will be the most beneficial. However, few are of the opinion that option one covering Sectors 91, 98, 97, 125 (along the expressway) will be better served. Hajipur villagers are also in favour of option two,” said the statement.

The proposed route will be sent to the DMRC to check technical feasibility and financial viability so that a final decision can be taken at the earliest, sources said.

Yogender Sharma, chairman, Federation of Noida Residents’ Welfare Association (FONRWA), said that option two will help more commuters. “In this route, Sadarpur and Hajipur villages will also be connected. In addition to this, a large number of people live in Sectors 45, 44, 46, 105 and 110 and they will benefit from this route,” he said.