NMRC Aqua Line likely to be inaugurated on December 25, final inspection begins today

The final round of safety inspection for the much-awaited Noida-Greater Noida metro corridor will be conducted from Tuesday by the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS). According to officials of Noida Metro Rail Corporation (NMRC), the commissioner , Sailesh Pathak, and his team will inspect all 21 metro stations of the 29.7km Aqua Line.

After the clearance from the CMRS, the metro corridor is likely to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 25. The inspection will be conducted over a period of three days.

The CMRS team will inspect the Noida Sector 51, 50, 76, 101, 81, NSEZ, Noida Sector 83, 137, 142 and 143 metro stations on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the team will inspect Noida Sector 144, 145, 146, 147, 148, and Greater Noida’s Knowledge Park II, Pari Chowk, Alpha 1, Delta 1, GNIDA Office and Depot metro stations. On Thursday, the team is expected to inspect the speed of metro coaches near the Noida-Greater Noida expressway where the altitude of the metro line changes drastically.

“The CMRS will begin inspection at about 10.30am from the Sector 51 metro station on Tuesday. Trolleys will be used for the inspection. The CMRS will be accompanied by his team as well as officials from Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC),” PD Upadhyay, executive director of Noida Metro Rail Corporation (NMRC), said.

Notably, the NMRC has inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), which will assist the NMRC in operating the Aqua Line corridor in the first year.

Upadhyay said that the team will check other crucial metro operations, including the over head electrification (OHE) system, signalling point, tracks and stations, circulation area, escalators and lifts, among others.

The Aqua Line will connect Noida and Greater Noida and will be one of the first major public transport options for the area. It will have 19 rakes with four cars each. Every train is equipped with a passenger information system, a public address system, and an emergency announcement system from operation control centre. Besides, all the stations shall be equipped with platform screen doors.

The trains are designed to run at a maximum speed of 80 kmph, clocking an average speed of 37.5 kmph. Seat reservation through different colours has been done in the coaches for ladies, senior citizens and differently abled persons. Dedicated space has been provided for wheelchair in driving trailer cars at both the ends of the trains.

The Aqua Line corridor, however, has not been linked with the Delhi Metro at any point, making seamless connectivity with the latter difficult. While the new line will make it easier for people to reach Noida from Greater Noida, commuters will have to change station and get new tokens or use another card for boarding the Delhi Metro. This is also raising question on the overall footfall that the NMRC is expecting to get.