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The Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority (GNIDA) on Tuesday approved extension of the metro from Noida Sector 71 to Knowledge Park 5 in Greater Noida. The alignment will comprise nine stations, with a project cost of ₹2,602 crore.
Work on phase one of the project which boasts five stations — Noida Sector 71, Sector 122, Sector 123, Sector 4 to Greater Noida West at Ecotech 12, and Ace Divino — is expected to begin in 2019. Phase one is estimated to be completed by 2020-21 at a cost of ₹1,521 crore.
The Akhilesh Yadav government had earlier approved construction of a 15-km metro project to connect Noida Sector 71 with Greater Noida’s Knowledge Park 5 via Ace Divino.
The Metro project had been stalled in 2017 on the ground that the route was not economically viable, considering the low population in the areas located along the proposed route. The 15km Metro project connecting Noida’s Sector 71 with Greater Noida’s Knowledge Park 5 was then slated to be made operational by March 2021.
With Greater Noida west becoming a hub of housing complexes, the authority decided to revisit the project.
The NMRC has decided to extend the Aqua Line from Sector 71 towards Greater Noida West area, which has more than four lakh under-construction flats in different housing complexes.
As per the funding pattern, the Greater Noida authority will provide ₹151 crore and the Noida authority will contribute around ₹80 crore for this project, officials said.
Residents, who have shifted into their newly built housing complexes, have welcomed the Metro project extension from Noida to Greater Noida west.
“We are happy with the approval of the Metro project, because it will provide a reliable public transport facility in this area. We face problems while travelling to Delhi-NCR areas due to the absence of Metro connectivity. As of now, we have to hire taxis to reach Noida’s City Center to board the Metro,” Vivek Raman, a resident of Gaur City, said.
