GHAZIABAD: The long-awaited Noida to Ghaziabad metro link may finally materialise with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) proposing to extend the Blue Line corridor to connect Noida Electronic City with Sahibabad in its expansion plans for phase V.
Over 5 lakh people, especially in parts of Indirapuram, Vasundhara and Vaishali townships, stand to benefit from the metro corridor, which will also serve as an extended arm of the Namo Bharat corridor, which passes through Sahibabad.
Of the 18 metro corridors identified by DMRC and ministry of housing and urban affairs across Delhi-NCR for expansion, four are in Ghaziabad. Of these is a plan to connect parts of north and east Delhi to Hindon Civil Terminal on the existing Pink Line corridor by adding another 12km stretch from Gokulpuri to Arthala.
It also proposes to extend the Red Line corridor by adding another 3km stretch from Shaheed Sthal New Bus Adda to Ghaziabad railway station. On the drawing boards is another proposal to extend the Blue Line corridor to link Vaishali and Mohan Nagar. The route, proposed by GDA first in 2018, had been shelved over funds. However, as the focus shifted to multi-modal integration with the rapid rail corridor, there was a proposal to extend the Blue Line metro corridor to connect Noida Electronic City to Sahibabad—the fourth corridor proposed under phase V extension now.
On Friday, GDA officials told TOI that DMRC has asked it to initiate the process of drawing up detailed project reports for these corridors, the cost for which is to be borne by the Centre. “The identified corridors are extensions of existing corridors aimed at providing metro connectivity to unserved areas. The Shaheed Sthal New Bus Adda to Ghaziabad Railway Station is an extension of the Red Line on the Dilshad Garden-Shaheed Sthal New Bus Adda Metro route. Noida Electronic City to Sahibabad and Vaishali to Mohan Nagar are extensions of the Blue Line, which Gokulpuri to Arthala is an extension of the Pink Line with an interchange on the Red Line route at Arthala,” a GDA official said.
A draft of the routes, prepared by DMRC, shows that the Shaheed Sthal to Ghaziabad railway station corridor will be roughly 3km and have one station. Noida Electronic City to Sahibabad will be about 5.1km long and will have a total of five stations, including Indirapuram, Shakti Khand and Vasundhara Sector 5.
The 5km Vaishali to Mohan Nagar corridor will have a total of four stations, including Prahladgarhi and Vasundhara’s Sector 14. The 12 km Gokulpuri to Arthala corridor will have a mix of underground (4 km) and elevated (8 km) stretches with eight stations including one at Hindon Civil Terminal.With four airlines, including Air India Express, Star Air, FlyBig, and more recently, IndiGo, launching flight operations on 17 routes, including all metro cities from the civil terminal, Hindon is set to play a key role in offering air connectivity to people from north and east Delhi, western UP districts and Noida. Currently, Delhi Metro’s Pink Line connects Majlis Park in North-West Delhi to Shiv Vihar in North-East Delhi, forming a U-shaped route. Extending the metro corridor up to Hindon terminal and further up to Arthala would make it more accessible to the residents within its catchment area.
The corridor is also set to offer metro connectivity to Loni and help decongest the area along the Delhi border.
At an estimated construction cost of Rs 300 crore per kilometre, the 25km total length of all four corridors puts the tentative budget at Rs 7,500 crore. A previous DPR for the Noida Electronic City–Sahibabad line, costing Rs 1,873 crore, had stalled since 2018 due to a lack of funds.
“Funding had been a hurdle,” said a GDA official. “But with MoHUA stepping in to finance the DPRs, these corridors now have a real chance of moving forward through central and state support.”
Earlier, GDA had also sought Rs 2,441 crore under the 16th Finance Commission to fund parts of this metro expansion.
