The Noida Metro Rail Corporation (NMRC) yesterday (Sunday, 19th July 2020) said it will soon finalise a contractor for the construction of the first phase of the Aqua Line Extension Corridor, which will take Metro connectivity deeper into Noida and Greater Noida.
The Aqua Line Extension will branch out from the existing Aqua Line’s Sector 51 Metro station and end at Greater Noida’s Sector Knowledge Park 5.
“We have opened the tenders and found three private agencies have submitted their respective bids. It will take us a month and a half to finalise a successful bidder. The work will start after we get the requisite approvals from the Union government once an agency is finalised,” said managing director of NMRC, Ritu Maheshwari, who is also the chief executive officer of Noida authority.
The NMRC had invited bids for this elevated 14.95-km long Metro link on June 9, 2020. The corporation had said it did not want the coronavirus disease pandemic to delay the work on this ambitious project that will provide connectivity to newly built housing societies of Noida and Greater Noida West (also known as Noida Extension).
The first phase of the corridor which will be 9.15-km long will have five Metro stations—Sector 122, Sector 123, Greater Noida Sector 4, Ecotech-12, and Greater Noida Sector 2. This phase is scheduled to be completed in 2022. The second phase, which will be 5.8km long, will have four Metro stations viz. Greater Noida Sector 3, Greater Noida Sector 10, Greater Noida Sector 12, and Knowledge Park 5.
The NMRC has earmarked budget of ₹430 crore for the construction of viaduct and metro stations under the first phase.