Cabinet clears ₹2,390-crore Noida Metro extension; Blue, Aqua lines get new link | India News
The Centre on Wednesday approved an 8.449-km extension of the Noida Metro’s Aqua Line at ₹2,390 crore, paving the way for improved connectivity of the Delhi Metro network with Noida and Greater Noida West.
A key feature of the Aqua Line extension will be its interchange facility with the Delhi Metro’s Blue Line at Noida Sector 61. (Sunil Ghosh/ Sunil Ghosh)The move is also aimed at improving connectivity access to commercial, residential and institutional hubs along the route.
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi cleared the project, which will have five elevated stations and connect Noida Sector 51 to Greater Noida Sector 4. PM Modi, in a post on X, shared the “good news”, while highlighting key advantages of the extension.
“As Noida and Greater Noida grow, why should daily commutes become longer? Here is some good news for the people of Noida and Greater Noida!” PM Modi said.
He said the extension would improve access to “offices, schools, hospitals and commercial hubs”, ease congestion and lead to shorter commute time. The proposed corridor would provide a “major boost to connectivity and ease of living,” the Prime Minister added.
A key feature of the extension will be its interchange facility with the Delhi Metro’s Blue Line at Noida Sector 61, providing commuters with an additional connection to the wider Delhi-NCR Metro network.
This comes months after the Noida Metro’s Aqua Line station at Sector 51 and the Delhi Metro’s Blue Line were directly linked through the opening of a skywalk on August 28, providing an interchange to passengers without needing to buy a new ticket.
The project has undergone changes since its initial proposal. The original alignment envisaged an 18-km corridor from the Delhi Metro’s Sector 61 station on the Blue Line to Knowledge Park V in Greater Noida. However, the Noida Metro Rail Corporation (NMRC) had to revise its DPR following a proposal of Ghaziabad-Jewar RRTC through Gaur Chowk.
The proposed corridor will expand the operational metro rail network across Noida and Greater Noida to 71.878 km, while improving connectivity to several commercial and employment hubs.
These include Gaur City Mall, H&S Mall, Blue Sapphire Mall and commercial developments in Greater Noida’s Sector 4. It will also provide better access to IKEA in Noida’s Sector 51 and Anthurium Mall in Sector 73.
The project is expected to provide better connectivity to areas that currently have limited efficient public transport links and integrate them with the existing metro network. The route is expected to serve offices and employment hubs, including Tech Mahindra and TCL Tech in Sector 60, the Oil Industry Development Board in Sector 73 and Golden I commercial space in Greater Noida Sector 4.
It will also improve access to educational and healthcare facilities, including Delhi Public School in Sector 122, Kailash Hospital, Rama Hospital in sectors 70 and 62, and Cloud9 Hospital in Sector 51. Residential areas such as Cleo County in Sector 122 and Gaur City 1 and 2 in Greater Noida Sector 4 are also expected to benefit.
The government said the extension would provide an alternative to road-based transport, potentially reducing traffic congestion and travel time while improving road safety. A shift towards metro-based commuting is also expected to reduce carbon emissions compared with fossil-fuel-based transport.
Improved connectivity to workplaces, commercial centres and transport hubs, including Delhi airport, railway stations and bus depots, is expected to support economic activity and local businesses around the new stations, the government said.
“The extension will take metro connectivity deeper into sectors 72, 73, 70, 123, 122 and Parthla of Noida region. It will also connect Greater Noida West areas including sector 1, and 4 to the Delhi Metro network,” said Krishna Karunesh, chief executive officer, Noida authority and head of NMRC.
