Delhi Metro and Noida Metro to bring year-end cheer! The metro network’s Rithala-Dilshad Garden Red Line will soon be extended to Ghaziabad’s New Bus Adda. Not only that, the Noida Metro Aqua line, connecting Noida to Greater Noida, will also be thrown open. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to flag off trains on both the extended Delhi Metro Red line and the Noida Metro Aqua line. According to a TOI report, the state government of Uttar Pradesh is hoping to get the PM to the city once again as an effort to inaugurate the two stretches.
The Rithala-Dilshad Garden stretch of Delhi Metro’s Red Line has been extended up to New Bus Adda metro station in Ghaziabad. The new section is a 9.41 km long and is entirely elevated. The extended section covers eight metro stations in total – Shaheed Nagar, Raj Bagh, Rajendra Nagar, Shyam Park, Mohan Nagar, Arthala, Hindon river and Ghaziabad New Bus Stand metro stations. The stretch also includes an interchange facility. At the Mohan Nagar station, people can change for Blue Line. Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) wrote to the UP government saying that the project was 99% complete and that December 25 could be a good day for commissioning of the line.
The other line that will be opened by year-end, Noida Metro’s Aqua line, is 29.7-km long. It has been under construction since the year 2015 and will benefit people residing in Greater Noida by connecting the city’s vast stretches and linking it firmly with the national capital. The Aqua line will run from the depot station in Theta, Greater Noida to Sector 71, Noida and will cover 21 metro stations. Out of these 21, 15 metro stations will operate from Noida Sector 149 to Noida Sector 71, passing through Sectors 144, 137, 81, 50 etc. and 6 metro stations will operate from Greater Noida, passing through Delta 1, Alpha 1, Alpha 2, Pari Chowk and Knowledge Park 2. According to sources quoted in the report, the final documentation and inspections would be completed in three weeks, making it possible for the inauguration to take place in December.
Presently, both the corridors are undergoing extensive trials, and are awaiting the final inspection by the commissioner of the metro rail safety (CMRS).