DMRC prepares detailed project report of 11.56km Metro route to Greater Noida

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has submitted the detailed project report (DPR) of a new 11.56km Metro link from Botanical Garden Metro station on Delhi Metro’s Blue Line to Sector 142 station on Noida Metro’s Aqua Line, with aim to provide direct connectivity between Greater Noida and the Delhi Metro by creating a branch to the existing Blue Line, officials in the know of the matter said on Thursday.

Currently, Greater Noida and Noida are connected to the Delhi Metro via Noida Metro’s 29.7km Aqua Line corridor. However, this connectivity to Delhi Metro’s Blue Line, which enters via Mayur Vihar and ends at Sector 62’s Electronic City Metro station, is not a seamless one. The new 11.56km link will make the connectivity seamless and also take Metro closer to the greenfield Noida international airport in Jewar.

Providing Metro connectivity to the airport is a priority for both Delhi Metro and the Uttar Pradesh government, said officials.

“The DMRC has completed the DPR of this important link and submitted it to us for further study after we released them the fee of ₹20 lakh for preparing the DPR. We will study the DPR and then send it to the Uttar Pradesh government for approval. Once approved, we will start work on this crucial Metro corridor,” said Lokesh M, managing director of the Noida Metro Rail Corporation (NMRC), and CEO of Noida authority.

According to the DPR, this project will cost at least ₹2,254.35 crore and the link will branch out from Botanical Garden station, run parallel to the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway, and then connect to Sector 142 Metro station of the Aqua Line, said officials.

Once the state approves this project, further approvals will be sought from the central government, said officials.

The Greater Noida authority on May 31, 2019, in its 114th board meeting had approved the Metro link with an aim to provide direct connectivity between Greater Noida and Delhi.

The Botanical Garden station also serves as the NCR’s first interchange station, linking commuters to Blue Line (Noida City Centre to Dwarka Sector 21) and the Janakpuri West-Botanical Garden corridor.

Uttar Pradesh’s then chief secretary Anup Chandra Pandey, who was also then chairman of the Greater Noida authority, had directed the NMRC to expedite work on the feasibility study before going for the detailed project report. The NMRC, accordingly, first drew up the feasibility report before roping in DMRC to prepare the DPR, said officials.

The feasibility study was conducted on the basis of expected traffic of passengers on this route, economic growth and ridership during peak hours, among other parameters.

In 2020, the study conducted by the Central government consultant agency, RITES, said the route will be feasible.

The DMRC had in June 2022 submitted the DPR to the NMRC. Subsequently, the NMRC’s then managing director Ritu Maheshwari had suggested some changes in the DPR. Now the DMRC has resubmitted the DPR after making the suggested changes.

As per the initial DPR, there were five stations on this link at sectors 91, 97, 98, and 125, besides Botanical Garden. However, in September 2022, the NMRC sought suggestions from residents’ welfare associations, apartment owners associations and other social groups. Now, as per the revised DPR, there will be eight Metro Botanical Garden, Sector 44, Noida’s new building in Sector 96, Sector 97, Sector 105, Sector 108, Sector 93 and Panchsheel Balak Inter College in Sector 91.