Noida-Gr Noida Metro may run from Dec, 3 months before time

The first Metro train from Noida to Greater Noida could run as early as December this year, three months ahead of the March 2018 commissioning date.

The 29.7-km corridor is racing to the finish line and, according to the DMRC, it will be the fastest Metro project built in India.

The Aqua line, as this will be called, is also setting another benchmark — of being the most economical Metro project to be built in the country, DMRC chief Mangu Singh said on March 2. Originally assessed at Rs 200 crore per kilometre, the actual cost could be around Rs 150 crore a kilometre or even less.

Singh’s remarks came at a ceremony where DMRC formally accepted a certificate from Limca Book of Records for building a record 200 U-shaped girders in May 2016 to lay the viaduct for the Aqua line, the most in a month for a single Metro line in the country. DMRC is building the line on behalf of the Noida Metro Rail Corporation (NMRC).
“This track will be an example. It will not only be the fastest track to be put into place in less than two and half years, it will also be the most economical. It normally takes around three years to put up an elevated track,” Singh said.

Officials said work on the Aqua line was also progressing fast because land acquisition for the project was easier.

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Earlier, a Board meeting of the NMRC on February 28 decided to procure 11 set of trains having four coaches each for the new Metro stretch. The meeting was chaired by UP Chief Secretary Rahul Bhatnagar, who is also the Chairman of NMRC.