The Centre on Wednesday approved the ₹2,390-crore extension of the Noida Metro's Aqua Line, boosting connectivity within not just Noida, but also Delhi.
The 8.449-kilometre-long extension, which will bring in five new elevated stations, aims to connect commuters with not just key commercial and healthcare hubs, but also with Delhi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday announced the Union Cabinet's approval of the Aqua Line extension from Noida's Sector 51 to Greater Noida's Sector 4, calling it "good news".
The five proposed stations that will be built under this extension will come up at Noida Sector 61, Noida Sector 70, Noida Sector 122, Noida Sector 123, and Greater Noida Sector 4.
The biggest highlight of the extension will be the direct link to Delhi via the direct interchange to the Blue Line at Noida's Sector 61, which will be key in boosting overall connectivity within the National Capital Region (NCR).
What this means that interchange between the metro lines will now be able to take place from platform to platform, which will be much easier for commuters who otherwise had to travel the 400-metre distance between Aqua Line's Sector 51 and Blue Line's Sector 52 metro stations by other means.
Some of the commercial hubs that will be connected to it include the Gaur City Mall, H&S mall & office space, the Blue Sapphire Mall & Commercial space in Greater Noida Sector 4, the IKEA in Noida Sector 51 and the Anthurium complex in Noida Sector 73.
In a boost for those working in MNCs and tech firms, the Aqua Line extension now adds in the Tech Mahindra and TCL Tech offices at Noida Sector 60, the Oil Industry Development Board at Noida Sector 73, and the Golden I commercial complex at Greater Noida Sector 4.
The healthcare hubs that will come under the Aqua Line are the Kailash Hospital, the Rama Hospital at Noida Sector 70, the Cloud9 Hospital at Noida Sector 51, and the Rama Hospital at Noida Sector 62.
The extension will also connect those living in residential societies like Cleo County Residencies (Noida Sector 122) and Gaur City 1&2 (Greater Noida Sector 4) with educational institutes, such as Delhi Public School (Noida Sector 122) and the other places mentioned above.
Touted as a means to not only reduce traffic, but also ease things for commuters and reduce vehicular pollution, all eyes are on the Centre's next announcement with finer details of when the project will begin, fare structures, timings, and more.
