Union housing and urban affairs minister Hardeep Singh Puri along with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will inaugurate the Noida-Greater Noida metro corridor (Aqua Line Metro) on January 25.
As against the initial plan, the inauguration of the metro line will now be from Sector 137 metro station on Friday afternoon, January 25. After the inauguration, the CM Yogi will travel 14 stations to the last station at the Greater Noida Depot in the metro. The Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri is also expected to take a metro ride with UP CM.
The rail corridor, also known as the Aqua Line, would run between Sector 51 station in Noida and the Depot Station in Greater Noida. There are a total of 21 stations on the corridor – 15 of them in Noida and six in Greater Noida — spread over a distance of 29.7-km.
“The Noida-Greater Noida metro line’s inauguration will held most likely on January 25 by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath,” NMRC Executive Director P D Upadhyay said.
A team of the Noida Metro Railway Corporation (NMRC) and Greater Noida Authority officials on Monday travelled on the Aqua Line to check arrangements before the CM’s visit. Adityanath will arrive at Ghaziabad’s Hindon airport from where he will fly to the helipad in Sector 85 and finally travel to the office of a news channel where he has a reserved programme.
The inauguration would subsequently happen at the Sector 137 metro station. The CM will travel to the Greater Noida depot through the Metro after which he would inaugurate several projects, including the Yamuna Bridge and the traffic park. From there, the chief minister will fly back to Lucknow via a chopper.
ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT AQUA LINE:
- The Aqua line, which will have 19 rakes with 4 cars each, will halt on the Sector 76, 101, 81, NSEZ, Noida Sector 83, 137, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148, and Greater Noida’s Knowledge Park II, Pari Chowk, Alpha 1, Delta 1, GNIDA Office and Depot metro stations.
- The NMRC had in December 2018 announced fares for the Aqua Line, with a minimum being Rs 9 and the maximum Rs 50. Commuters could buy QR-coded paper tickets or use smart cards.
- The 49th battalion of the UP PAC has been entrusted with the responsibility of security on the Aqua Line, while some private security personnel will also be deployed.
- The trains are designed to run at a maximum speed of 80 kmph, clocking an average speed of 37.5 kmph.
- Seat reservation through different colours has been done in the coaches for ladies, senior citizens and differently abled persons.
- Dedicated space has been provided for a wheelchair in driving trailer cars at both the ends of the trains.
- A major concern among the people has been that the interchange stations of the DMRC-operated Blue Line and the NMRC’s Aqua Line are not seamless.
- Commuters will have to get down at the Sector 52 metro station of the Blue Line, which will further get extended to the Noida Electronic City station, and reach the Noida Sector 51 station of the Aqua Line, covering a stretch of around 200 metres.