Metro link to G Noida under way

On Saturday, the agreement was signed between SD Sharma, the director of business development, DRMC, and Rama Raman, chairperson and CEO of Noida and Greater Noida Authority. After the agreement was signed, two cheques  — amounting to Rs 15 crore and Rs 14.5 crore — were handed out to the DMRC. Also present at the signing was Mangu Singh, Managing Director of DMRC.

Noida Authority officials said the two Metro routes had received the official approval from UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav on September 30, 2014. “There was a delay on both ends with regard to the draft MoUs. But now that agreements have been signed, payments will be processed and construction work will begin,” an official said.

Authority officials said the two lines will be instrumental in boosting connectivity to Noida. The City Centre line will connect Sector 32 with Sector 62 and allow commuters to reach NH-24 without difficulty. It is expected to be completed with 36 months after construction begins. The proposed route is expected to have six elevated stations at Sectors 34, 52, 59, 61, 62 and Electronic City at NH-24.

Officials said currently, the most commonly used connection between between Noida and Greater Noida is the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway. “However, public transportation on the route leaves much to be desired. The second Metro line — between Noida and Greater Noida — will boost connectivity greatly between the two,” the official said.

The Noida-Greater Noida Metro line will start from the Noida City Centre in Sector 32 and head to  Greater Noida via stations in Sector 50, 51, 78, 101, 82, Dadri Road, 83, 85, 137, 142, 143, 144, 147, 153 and sector 149 in Noida.

It will enter Greater Noida at Knowledge Park II, go through Pari Chowk, Sector-Alpha 1 and Sector-Alpha 2 before terminating at the Depot station, proposed to come up near Knowledge Park IV in Greater Noida.  This route will be commissioned by 2018.

While the entire Metro alignment has been proposed to be elevated, the route is expected to have a total of 22 stations of which 13 will be on the ground and 7 at an elevated level. Two additional stations have been planned at Knowledge Park-I and Sector Delta-1 in Greater Noida for future expansion.

“The need for an effective public transport system between the two cities is important. The rise in population in the district has been phenomenal and we have to factor that in while foreseeing future needs,” the official said.

103-km corridor to link South-West in Phase IV plan

Expected to be completed by 2022, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has proposed a 103.93 km-long corridor in its Phase-IV project to connect areas in West Delhi to South Delhi. The proposal comes at a time when work on Phase-III is yet to be completed.

According to a DMRC spokesperson, the corporation has submitted a detailed project report (DPR) for the new phase to the Delhi government as well as the Union Urban Development Ministry for approval.

“The total work can be completed in 72 months from date of start. The work should be started by April 2016. Various sections can be opened in phases by March 31, 2022,” the spokesperson said.

However, DMRC officials maintained that project completion depends on when land required for the project is made available to them. This is done within a six-month period prior to the date of sanctioning of the project, officials said.

Even though Phase-III is scheduled to be completed by 2016, DMRC wants to begin work on Phase-IV by mid-2016.

In the fourth phase, DMRC plans to connect areas such as Narela, Rithala, R K Ashram, Bawana, Najafgarh, Mahipalpur through six new corridors — Rithala-Narela, Janakpuri West-R K Ashram, Mukundpur-Maujpur, Inderlok-Indraprastha, Tughlaqabad-Aerocity and Lajpat Nagar-Saket G Block.

While the Delhi Metro network is already 190 km long, Phase-III will add 140 kms to it. The figure will cross the 400 km mark with Phase-IV.

In Phase-III, majority of the work on the Jahangirpuri-Badli, Mandi House-Kashmere Gate and Faridabad extensions has been completed. The corridors are expected to be operational by next year, officials said.