NOIDA: The Noida Metro Rail Company finalized the locations and the energy models of the 21 stations along the 28.8km Noida-Greater Noida Metro link in a review meeting with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation on Thursday.

According to officials, the meeting, which included senior officials of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) took place in Noida, wherein a presentation for the finalization of the Metro stations and its models was made. Designing and construction of elevated viaduct and 21 elevated stations are expected to be completed within 24 months.

The track will have a provision for two types of stations – on-road stations and off-road. There will be 15 on-road stations, while six will be off-road. Off-road stations will be located on one side of the road and will require foot overbridges (FOBs) for commuters to access them,” said G P Singh, executive director of NMRC.

Singh told TOI said that all the 21 stations along the corridor will generate their own electricity and will be powered by solar power. “The rooftops of the stations will have solar power panels and the building will be installed with LED bulbs, carbon dioxide sensors and other eco-friendly features. Each station will generate its own electricity to power their lighting and airconditioning,” he said.

Officials said that the stations would also have other environment-friendly features like rainwater harvesting systems. Besides, no bentonite, a kind of absorbent clay used especially as filler, will be used during constructions as it contaminates groundwater. Only good polymers will be used during construction, officials explained.

The Noida-Greater Noida Metro will also support platform screen door technology at stations. This “cutting-edge” safety feature consists of transparent doors that separate rail tracks from platforms. Train doors and platform doors are aligned and will open simultaneously after the train has stopped, preventing accidents.

Officials said that NMRC chairman, Rama Raman, who chaired the meeting, has also directed that all stations should be multi-modal and traffic-integrated. The stations should be designed in such a manner that they do not hamper traffic management, Raman said.

Raman said that all civil works for the Noida-Greater Noida track would be completed by June 2017. The Metro, which is estimated to cost Rs 5,526 crore, is expected to start operations by December 2017. He also approved the Knowledge Park-II Metro station in Greater Noida as the interchange point for the proposed 38-km line towards Jewar.

Satisfied with the progress of the track, Raman lauded the DMRC for putting in place 18 piling rigs in just four weeks. Work had started on the piling soon after a consortium of Taiwanese and Indian companies working with a Spanish consultant was appointed in May.

