Vandana Keelor By

Express News Service

NOIDA: To ensure a smooth ride for commuters and to enhance connectivity, the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority (GNIDA) is planning at least two new Metro links to connect its area to the capital city. The plan is to extend the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation’s (DMRC) Blue Line from Noida City Centre into a loop, covering various parts of Noida and Greater Noida.

The loop line is proposed to be linked with Line 8 (Janakpuri West-Botanical Garden) of DMRC’s Phase-III by a 16.5-km stretch connecting Sector-143 and Kalindi Kunj and Okhla Bird Sanctuary stations. This extension will give commuters two options — Magenta line to Kalindi Kunj and Blue line to Mayur Vihar.

A second proposal is to build a high-speed Metro corridor via Badarpur, Faridabad. This 66-km high-speed link will run parallel to the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) at Bodaki and connect to Badarpur station, Delhi and Gurugram at IGI international airport.

Meanwhile, Noida Metro Rail Corporation (NMRC) will also be tasked with studying the feasibility of a Metro project connecting Noida’s Aqua Line from Sector 71, which will serve as an interchange station with Greater Noida west’s Gaur City Square in Sector 2. This line will then be extended to Knowledge Park-V (KP-V) in Greater Noida.

This loop will consist of a 15-km line, which will be extended to Bodaki village in Greater Noida. Finally, Bodaki will be connected with Noida City Centre via stations at Pari Chowk and Noida sectors-147, 143, 85, 101 and 50, among others. This Metro project, which was proposed in 2015 and was to become operational by 2021 had been stalled in 2017 because the route was not economically viable, considering the low population in the area. With Greater Noida west becoming a hub of multi-storied housing complexes, the authority has decided to revisit the project.

According to GNIDA officials, all proposals are likely to be taken to an upcoming board meeting of Greater Noida Authority on May 31 before being forwarded to the Uttar Pradesh government for further action including preparing of detailed project reports and pattern for funding.

“On receiving the board’s go ahead, we will authorize NMRC to study the feasibility and viability of the projects,” said Narendra Bhooshan, CEO, GNIDA. “The aim for the Metro line expansions is to put into place a holistic and comprehensive network of public transport with optimum connectivity to cater to a large number of commuters.”

Blue Line service delayed after man jumps on tracks

Services were briefly delayed on a section of Delhi Metro’s Blue Line on Wednesday after a man allegedly jumped on to the tracks at Kaushambi station on Wednesday. “From 9.56 to 10.03 am, metro services were slightly affected on Line-3/4 (Blue Line) due to a male passenger who allegedly jumped on to the tracks at Kaushambi station, when a train, going towards Dwarka, was approaching a platform,” said a Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) official.

However, the passenger was rescued and normal service resumed soon after. Service in the rest of the section was normal. Kaushambi station falls in Ghaziabad on the Yamuna Bank-Vaishali branch section of the Blue Line.