Delhi metro's blue line extension in Noida gets safety nod

The 6.6-km Noida City Centre-Noida Electronic City section, an extension of the Delhi Metro's Blue Line, has got safety approval and will open for public soon, officials said Wednesday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to inaugurate the section on March 8, official sources said Tuesday.

"Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety S K Pathak has accorded the mandatory approval for the commencement of passenger operations on the 6.675-km Noida City Centre - Noida Electronic City section of the Blue Line, which was inspected on Monday," a DMRC official said.

The completely elevated section with six stations -- Sector 34, Sector 52, Sector 61, Sector 59, Sector 62 and Noida Electronic City -- will immensely benefit the people of Noida and connect the satellite city with the national capital.

On March 8 , the prime minister is also slated to inaugurate the 9.4-km-long Dilshad Garden-New Bus Adda section, an extension of the Red Line.

"Passenger services on this Red Line section are slated to start on March 9, from 8 am, following the formal inauguration of this stretch on March 8," the DMRC official said.

It has already been granted the nod by the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) and will take the rapid transit network into the interiors of Ghaziabad for the first time.

The Delhi Metro's current operational span is 327 km with 236 stations.

After opening of the two corridors, it will extend to over 342 km with 250 stations.

Once the Noida City Centre-Noida Electronic City section becomes operational, the extended corridor will also bring the Blue Line close to the recently-opened Aqua Line, which connects Noida and Greater Noida.

The Sector-52 station of the DMRC's Blue Line is very close to the Sector-51 station on the Aqua Line, operated by the Noida Metro Rail Corporation (NMRC), and its commuters are awaiting last-mile connectivity between the two lines.

Plans are afoot to connect the two lines through a dedicated pathway and a carriage-way for e-rickshaws, officials had said.

There is a distance of around 300 metres between the Sector-51 metro station, the terminus of the Aqua Line in Noida, and the upcoming Sector-52 metro station of the Blue Line.

-PTI