NOIDA: Days after the Union cabinet approved the Botanical Garden to Sector 142 extension of the Aqua Line,
Noida Metro Rail Corporation (
NMRC) said it will draw up a revised detailed project report for the Greater Noida West metro corridor with four stations in phase 1, instead of all 11 proposed earlier.
Under the revised plan, the corridor will have stations at sectors 61, 70, 123 and Greater Noida Sector 4 (Gaur Chowk) in phase 1.
An initial alignment for the corridor proposed an 18km track linking Delhi Metro's Sector 61 station on the Blue Line to Knowledge Park V in Greater Noida via sectors 70, 122, 123, Greater Noida Sector 4, Ecotech 12, Greater Noida sectors 2, 3, 10 and 12. While UP govt approved the alignment in 2024, the ministry of housing and urban affairs (MoHUA) withheld approval for it, pending a decision on a proposed 72km Ghaziabad-Jewar rapid rail corridor via Greater Noida West.
The rapid rail corridor with 22 stations is proposed to originate at the Ghaziabad RRTS station on the Delhi-Meerut corridor and pass through Siddharth Vihar, Char Murti Chowk in Greater Noida West, Knowledge Park V, Police Lines, Surajpur and Alpha-1, before terminating at Noida International Airport. A detailed project report (DPR), prepared by the NCRTC, said the corridor would be ready in five years.
Last year, MoHUA had flagged the duplication of stations with NMRC's proposed Aqua Line extension while reviewing the rapid rail corridor and directed YEIDA to reconsider the alignment. In Jan, YEIDA clarified that there would be no changes to the 72km corridor.
NMRC general manager (projects) Pradeep Yadav told TOI the corporation had prepared a detailed project report (DPR) to extend metro connectivity up to Knowledge Park V. "However, there is a proposal for an RRTS corridor to Jewar that is to cover the remaining stretch of the Aqua Line from Gaur Chowk. We have decided to develop the new metro arm from Sector 61 to Greater Noida Sector 4 (Gaur Chowk) in the first phase. It has not yet been decided whether NMRC or the RRTS will take up the remaining portion. Either agency can develop it once the work is sanctioned," he said.
With the Centre approving Aqua Line's extension to Botanical Garden, and a second 2.6km arm linking Depot-Boraki route last month, residents' welfare associations have been questioning the delay over the Greater Noida West link. They alleged the project had been put on the back burner without valid reasons.
Abhishek Kumar, president of the Noida Extension Flat Owner Welfare Association (NEFOWA), told TOI that Greater Noida West is home to over five lakh people living in high-rise societies and adjoining villages. In the absence of mass public transport, most commuters were forced to depend on private vehicles, cabs and autos to reach their workplaces in Delhi and Noida.
"A DPR for Aqua Line's extension up to Knowledge Park V was approved by the Noida and Greater Noida authorities and the state govt. Then why prepare another DPR?" he asked.
Kumar said residents have threatened to stage a protest at Jantar Mantar and submit a memorandum to the PMO on March 15 over the delay and repeated revisions in the alignment.
Manish Kumar, a resident of Supertech Eco Village, said residents have been demanding metro connectivity for years. "Metro projects are being prioritised elsewhere, but not in Greater Noida West. There is no public transport network here yet. Why?" he said.
Another resident, Mihir Gautam, wrote on X that locals face long-standing hardships on multiple fronts. "From delayed flat registrations to daily traffic congestion and poor public transport, residents have borne the brunt. Given the high population density, this route is viable, yet it is not being fast-tracked," he said.
An NMRC official, meanwhile, told TOI that in the revised alignment, the Sector 61 station would serve as an interchange with the Blue Line. "The rapid raid corridor connecting Ghaziabad to the Noida International Airport will also have a station at Greater Noida Sector 4, which will provide direct connectivity to Knowledge Park V, Surajpur, Alpha-1 and beyond up to Noida airport, significantly easing commuting in the area," he added.