Metro may inaugurate Yamuna Bank-Noida corridor in November
October 22, 2009 (Zee News)
Delhi Metro may inaugurate the much awaited Yamuna Bank-Noida corridor in November, a month ahead of the revised schedule, with trail runs expected to start next week on the 13.1 km line.
"The trial runs on Yamuna Bank-Noida line till Sector 16 (Noida) are expected to start next week. The trial runs on the rest of the line, till Sector 32, are expected in the first week of November," a DMRC spokesman said.
The 13.1 km corridor linking the national capital with its satellite city of Noida was rescheduled for opening in the first week of December 2009."However, huge rush is expected during the India International Trade Fair which will start from 14th November 2009 at Pragati Maidan and keeping this in view, the Delhi Metro is trying to open the Yamuna Bank-Noida line around the time of the trade fair," the spokesman said.
He, however, added that the final opening date of this line will depend upon the successful completion of the trails and clearance by the Commissioner for Metro Railway Safety.
Metro trial runs involve the train’s performance and integration with system equipments such as signalling, telecom and platforms.
The DMRC decided to postpone the inauguration till December due to non-availability of new metro coaches as the inspection was being conducted by Sirish and Patel Associates on the line.
The opening of the line will result in a paradigm shift in the travel habits of millions of people in the National Capital Region. This will be the first time Metro will cross the Delhi border.
Decks were cleared for the DMRC to cross Delhi and enter NCR when Parliament passed a Bill to give legal cover for construction, operation and maintenance of the metro rail system in the National Capital Region and other metro cities.
Delhi Metro began the trial runs on the Yamuna Bank-Noida corridor on July 26 with the train running till New Ashok Nagar station.
With the opening of the section, Line III will comprise a total of 42 stations and its length will increase to 47.2 kms. There are 10 stations in the 13.1 km section, out of which four fall within Delhi while six stations fall in Noida in UP.
The upcoming Metro stations on the much awaited Noida corridor will have a completely new and modern look. The exterior of the station will be made using a special technique called ACP (Aluminium Composite Panel).
This technique is mostly used in the exterior portion of malls and other modern buildings to provide an aesthetic and modern look. The stations have been designed using a post modern architectural approach and they have been designed keeping in mind the international appeal of the Delhi Metro.
Parking facility has been provided at all stations uptill New Ashok Nagar and in Noida at Botanical Garden and Noida City Centre Metro stations.
But DMRC goes full throttle on Noida LRT
July 20, 2009 (Times Of India)
The country's first `development Metro' is finally on track. Even as the fate of the Ghaziabad Metro link hangs in balance, work on the Light Rail Transit (LRT) link proposed from Noida Sector 32 to Greater Noida is expected to start soon. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has finalised the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the project and will soon call for tenders after the required approvals are in.
As per the DPR, the project has a 2014 deadline. The Metro will be a further extension of the under-construction Noida line which connects the existing Line 3 till Noida sector 32. This line will be operational by August end. The 29-km long Greater Noida link will connect Noida sector 32 with Pari Chowk in Greater Noida. "The managing director went to inspect the alignment of the Greater Noida link in June and the final DPR will be submitted to the Noida and Greater Noida authorities by this week. Soon after, tenders will be called and construction of the stretch will begin,'' said a DMRC spokesperson.
In normal procedure, the process for calling tenders takes about 6 months to a year and construction will take another two years. The proposed Metro line is going to run along the Greater Noida expressway and will have stops at sector-50, sector-78, sector-101, sector-82, and sector-92.
This will be the first developmental Metro, a concept popular in developed countries, where a Metro system is developed first on a plot of land which the government plans to develop and later people come and settle around it. The advantage of this is that even before residents shift it, they have a reliable means of commuting available. In Greater Noida too, the present estimates for ridership are not too high. But with the Metro coming up, it is expected that more people will shift in and the ridership will soar,'' the spokesperson added.
As part of Phase 2, the Delhi Metro network is traversing a distance of 7 km into Noida, till the city centre in sector 32. This project is majorly being funded by the Noida administration (80%). The union government will pay another 20%, while the rolling stock will be provided by DMRC.
Delhi Metro starts trial run on Noida route
July 25, 2009 (Times Of India)
Ahead of throwing open the track from Yamuna Bank to Noida across the state border from east Delhi, Delhi Metro began trial runs on Saturday on a section of the route, a Metro official said.
The trial run, which began at 10 am, was conducted only till the New Ashok Nagar station in east Delhi.
According to Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) officials, trial on this section will go on for 10 days and subsequently, the rest of the route till Noida city centre will be covered.
It will be for the first time that the Delhi Metro will cross into another state -- Uttar Pradesh. The new route is 13.1 km long.
"The trial runs will go on for approximately a month's time, during which the section will be tested for signalling, tracks, telecommunication and interfacing of trains working with different systems. The interim stations on the route -- Akshardham, Mayur Vihar Phase 1 and Mayur Vihar Extension -- will be elevated," a DMRC spokesperson said.
The trial runs will not affect the running of the trains in the already functioning portion of the route, that runs till Dwarka in southwest Delhi.
"The Yamuna Bank to Noida section is scheduled to be opened for the public by the end of this August. With the opening, this route will have a total of 42 stations and its length will be 47.2 km. This will also become the longest operational section of the Delhi Metro," the spokesperson said.
In the 13.1 km new portion of the route, there will be 10 stations of which four will be in Delhi while the rest will be in Noida.
The total travelling time on 47.2km route will be 90 minutes.
» Centre clears way for 2nd Metro expansion phase
February 4, 2009 (Indian Express)
Daily commuters between the national capital and its satellite towns - Gurgaon and Noida - can finally heave a sigh of relief with the Government finally tying up funds for the second phase of the metro network, albeit at a cost of more than Rs 4,400 crore. The expansion is to be partly funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica).
As the deadline for Commonwealth Games approaches, the Centre has hurriedly cleared the way for Delhi Metro's second expansion phase, which will connect the city with Noida and Gurgaon. JICA, which had earlier funded 60 per cent of the costs of Phase I of the Delhi Metro, had refused to bear the full impact of the cost escalation.
"The JICA has now agreed to finance 30 per cent of the required additional amount of around Rs 4,400 crore. For the remaining amount of around Rs 2,500 crore, the Government of India and the state government will equally fund the equity," said urban development secretary M Ramachandran.
Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has already placed orders for the rolling stock requirement and the Central funding will come in the form of budgetary allocation in the following two years, 2009-10 and 2010-11.
DMRC had run into project cost overruns finding it difficult to tie funds for additional rolling stock requirements. The Empowered Group of Ministers, led by External Affairs minister and acting Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, gave its nod last week for the Public Private Partnership route to fund additional money, sources said.
"To raise additional funds, property development has been mandated for DMRC. The local bodies have been instructed to give clearances when they are approached for property development related clearances," said Ramachandran. The property development is expected to raise Rs 500-600 crore, which will
part finance the rolling stock requirement.Due to the extension of some lines and addition of new sections, the initial cost estimates for Phase II of the Delhi Metro had risen considerably, touching almost Rs 20,000 crore. Similarly, rolling stock requirement had risen from 230 to 536 coaches, putting additional pressure on finances. For the Phase II, DMRC has involved developers in construction of operational building at metro stations where property development on a larger scale is proposed, thus raising funds through the PPP route.
» North Delhi to CP in less than 30 minutes now
February 4, 2009 (Times Of India)
The 6.36 km-long Delhi Metro extension from Vishwavidyalaya to Jehangirpuri, via Model Town, was flagged off by chief minister Sheila Dikshit on Tuesday. The line will be opened for commuters from 6 am on
Wednesday, a good nine months before the scheduled opening date.This is the second line of Phase II to be commissioned in the city. And the good news is that three more Metro lines will become operational by the end of this year. Said Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) managing director E Sreedharan: "About 40 more kms of Delhi Metro will be opened for use in the current year. The 18-km Inderlok-Mundka section will start in September, followed by Indraprastha-Noida (14 kms) in October and Yamuna Bank-Anand Vihar section (7 kms) in December.'' Phase II of Delhi Metro construction is comprised of six lines.
The newly-opened section has brought north Delhi areas like Model Town, Gujranwala Town, Azadpur, Maurice Nagar, Mukherjee Nagar, Derawal Nagar, Malka Ganj, Adarsh Nagar and Jehangirpuri closer to the heart of the city as the travel time to these areas will considerably get reduced. The ride from Model Town to CP will take just 22 minutes. It is estimated to ferry over over 1.51 lakh commuters by 2011.
The new line has added five more stations to the existing Line 2 from Central Secretariat to Jehangirpuri and increased its length to 17.36 km with a total 15 stations. Adarsh Nagar Metro station is expected to see the
maximum commuter load with 37,684 entries/exits daily.The elevated stations of the sections located at Model Town, Adarsh Nagar, Azadpur and Jehangirpuri sport a different design too. The stations have been constructed on the main road and appear to be "hanging'' from the sides of the Metro bridge.
Dikshit urged DMRC to extend the new line to Badli, for which a study has already been carried out. This 3.42 km extension will have two stations.
The CM also lauded DMRC for completing the project before time. "Not only is DMRC doing its work well, but they are also finishing projects before deadlines. Other agencies should take inspiration from this and learn the work culture of Delhi Metro to deliver better,'' said Dikshit.
» Bill for Delhi Metro expansion caught in turf war
September 9, 2008 (Press Trust Of India)
The proposed law for expansion of Metro rail network in the National Capital Region (NCR) is unlikely to be introduced in the forthcoming Parliament session as it is caught in a turf war between Railways and Urban Development Ministry.
The proposed Central legislation - Delhi Metro Rail Amendment Bill 2008 - aimed at resolving the legal hurdles arising out of the extension of Metro network to Noida in Uttar Pradesh and Gurgaon and Faridabad in Haryana was supposed to be introduced by the Urban Development Ministry in the coming session.
However, it is learnt that the Railway Ministry wants to pilot the Bill claiming that it is its responsibility and not that of the Urban Development Ministry's. "Since we are providing safety and technical planning to the proposed extension of Delhi Metro to other cities, it is our responsibility also to introduce the Bill in Parliament," said a senior Railway Ministry official.
When pointed out that the Delhi Metro Operation and Maintenance Act 2002 was piloted by the UD Ministry, the official said "it was confined to Delhi only. But here it is going beyond Delhi."
Though the draft of the proposed legislation is ready, the stand taken by Railways has delayed the process and a decision has to be taken by the competent authorities to sort out the issue, a senior UD Ministry official said.
There is a need to amend the Delhi Metro Operation and Maintenance Act 2002 after facing legal hurdles while extending the Delhi Metro Rail to Noida, Faridabad and Gurgaon in the absence of a central legislation.
The proposed Act will empower the Metro rail administration to do what is necessary for the train system's operations.
» From Noida to CP in 34 MINS, for Rs 14, coutesy DMRC
September 7, 2008 (Times Of India)
By June next year, you will be able to traverse the 18 km distance between Noida sector 32 and CP in half-an-hour, just at Rs 14. The fare to Nehru Place and Vishvavidyalaya will be Rs 18 and Rs 17, at an estimated journey time of 55 minutes and 48 minutes respectively. As work on the Metro line to Noida is nearing completion, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has charted out the fare structure and estimated time for the journey from the suburb to different parts of the Capital. For residents of the city, who commute between Delhi and Noida regularly, the Metro line will come as a boon as it will provide a fast, comfortable and affordable link to the heart of the city.‘‘I take about an hour just to reach my home in Mayur Vihar from office in Noida sector 4. The Metro will take me through in no time, in an airconditioned environment, minus the hassle of traffic snarls,’’ said Isha Khanna, a management consultant.
The Metro line will take an estimated 38 minutes from Noida to Central Secretariat, 42 minutes to Kashmere Gate, 53 minutes to Shahdara and 65 minutes to Rohini East Metro stations. The fares have been computed at Rs 15, Rs 16, Rs 18 and Rs 20 respectively. For those headed to the railway station, which is about 19 km away, the journey will take 36 minutes and will cost Rs 15. The corporation is also planning to run feeder services to the Noida stations to enable more and more people to take the Metro link.
The extension of Line 3 (Dwarka to Indraprastha) to Noida is nearing completion as more than 75% of the structures are already up. The 7.3 km long elevated line, which will largely run over the central verge, is expected to ferry an estimated 53,000 commuters daily by 2011. The Metro will have six stops in Noida — at Sector 15, Sector 16, Sector 18, Botanical Garden, Golf Course and Sector 32 City Centre.
The stations, which are all on road, will be aesthetically more pleasing. The corporation is planning to design the exteriors in a manner that they match with the surroundings. For instance, the Sector 18 station will have a mall-like exterior to make it look like the other buildings around.
All the stations will double up as foot over-bridges for non-Metro users too and parking facilities for 50-100 cars will be available.
» "Noida Metro will not be completed before schedule", says E Sreedharan
August 11, 2008 (Business Standard)
In an Question Answer session Delhi Metro's managing director, Elattuvalapil Sreedharan said the following.
You have completed many projects ahead of schedule. Will you do that for the second phase as well?
"We can do the whole work earlier, but the rolling stock will not be available by that time. For example, the rolling stock for the Noida line will be available by only June 2009. So we are slightly slowing down the project."
I was really hoping to see the Metro running by the end of 2008.
» Noida metro gets the cabinet green signal
June 25, 2007 (Indian Express)
The Delhi Government today gave its formal approval for the extension of Delhi Metro Line from New Ashok Nagar to Sector-32, Noida.
In what is seen as a reciprocal gesture for the newly-found Delhi-UP bonhomie, wherein the newly-elected UP government resolved the bus row and granted the land required for the Games Village, the Delhi Government has cleared the 7-kilometer elevated stretch.
The route will span Noida Sector 15, Sector 16, Sector 18, Noida Botanical Garden Station, Golf Course Station and Sector 32 City Centre Station. This is an extension of the Games Village line, which will span the Yamuna Depot, the Games Village, Mayur Vihar Phase I and II, New Ashok Nagar and then move onto Noida.
The Noida extension has a total cost outlay of 736 crore. The UP government will bear the capital cost of network (Rs 611 crore) and the cost of land (Rs 32 crore) while DMRC will spend Rs 93 crore as rolling stock.
“The line will be operational before the Commonwealth Games 2010. The incremental traffic due to Noida corridor is expected to be 53,000 per day by 2011,” said Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today.
The DMRC, meanwhile, is also working on the Detailed Project Report for a 29-km Light Rail Transit Corridor in Greater Noida. “It is not decided yet whether DMRC will lay the corridor, but we are working on the report and it should be ready by August. This will extend till Pari Chowk in Greater Noida, and will have an interchange facility with the Delhi Metro,” said CBK Rao, Director Projects and Planning, DMRC. The barricading for the project has already been done.
» Delhi
Metro phase II costs worked out
May 10, 2007 (Business Standard)
To cost Rs 13,338 crore for its extension to Haryana and UP.
The states of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana would have to contribute 80 per cent of the cost (for stretches within their jurisdiction) for the recently cleared proposal to extend the Delhi Metro to Noida and Gurgaon in phase II.
The states would spend less than Rs 100 crore per kilometre as cost of construction of the line within the state; lower than the cost of Rs 160 crore in phase I of Delhi Metro.
The reason being that the number of stations in these routes (only five stops) would be much lower than in Delhi (phase I), which was a key reason for the higher cost of construction in phase I.
The cost of the remaining project in phase II (20 per cent) would be financed by the Urban Development ministry, the coaches will be financed by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) .
The stretches from UP border to Noida Sector 32 and from Haryana border to Sushant Lok (Gurgaon) are each of seven km. The cost is estimated to be Rs 650 crore and Rs 688 crore respectively. The cost per km therefore would come to Rs 92.8 crore per km for Noida line, while the per km cost for Gurgaon line would be Rs 98.2 crore.
A Noida authority official said, "The funds are being taken from the amount allocated for this project in the budget of Noida authority." Apart from this, the authority would be selling its commercial land for raising funds for the project, sources said.
» 150
trees in Noida felled for Metro
May 3, 2007 (Times of India)
Soon after the recent environmental row kicked up by the felling of trees to build a high-speed bus corridor, another controversy is brewing here in Noida.
The green belt in Sectors 36 and 37 is under threat as the authorities have mowed down 150 trees to create space for the Metro.
Divisional forest officer N P Singh said he gave permission to cut "some 5 to 7 trees, mainly eucalyptus" for widening a stretch, but nothing like 150 trees. "I will look into this," he told TOI.
Apparently, a kilometre-long stretch is planned to be widened to accommodate both road traffic and the Metro. But it’s bound to trigger protests.
» Metro
may run in Noida by Dec ‘08
April 22, 2007 (Indian Express)
With money flowing in to DMRC coffers, the Metro could chug into Noida a good six months before its June 2009 deadline. Work is on at full pace and Noida Development Authority is now ready with its second installment of Rs 150 crore for the DMRC.
According to officials of Noida Development Authority, considering the pace of work by DMRC in Noida they were hoping that Metro operations would start by December 2008.“The first installment of Rs 155 crore was paid to DMRC last April and the second installment is ready. We have to pay Rs 611 crore in all to DMRC in four installments,” said a senior official. Tenders for the project were awarded to Gammon India and JMC, a joint venture group.
» Noida
Metro not on track yet, says CM
October 26, 2006
Months after tenders were awarded for the Noida Metro link and money changed hands, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today said the project is yet to be cleared as “certain issues” need to be sorted out.
“We are waiting to sort out certain issues with the Uttar Pradesh government. Clearance to the Noida link will be given only after that,” said the CM. She, however, refused to spell out what the issues are.
The Gurgaon link, however, has been cleared by the Delhi government even though the proposal for the same came in much later.DMRC MD E Sreedharan said: “Preliminary work has been done on the link. Tenders have been awarded and some pre-construction work done. The project is awaiting nod from the Delhi government which has some issues regarding the handing over of land by Uttar Pradesh.” The Noida Authority, however, denied the contention.
“We have handed over to DMRC the entire land required. All hindrances, such as power, water, and sewer lines, have been diverted and trees removed. In fact, DMRC has started the piling work already. We have also given Rs 155 crore to the DMRC for the project which was cleared by the Group of Ministers and the Delhi government in July last year. It’s strange for the Delhi government to say now that they have not yet approved of the project,” said Sanjeev Saran, CEO, Noida.
A 7-km link to Noida Sector 32 is planned from New Ashok Nagar in Delhi. Scheduled for completion by June 2009, the link will have stations at Sectors 15,16,18, Botanical Garden, Golf Links and Sector 32.
According to DMRC estimates, some 40,000 passengers will take Metro ride per day on the route. UP had given clearance to the link in December last year.
» A new Parallel Road: Way out for the traffic problems
October 01, 2006
Metro construction is in full swing along the route proposed. One can find the construction work and alternate traffic management in full swing. Private traffic helpers are found along the whole construction stretch managing the traffic on each intersection and crucial points. More over a parallel road along the current road from Gol Chakkar till Atta is under construction. This road has taken all the vacant space that was present towards the sector 2 side of the road. Establishments like Nirulas has closed the entrance from that side for the road for this road. Trees are cleared all along the way and the horticulture department was working over time to relocate the uprooted trees and plants to various parks and places in Noida.
» BGIR
returns land to Noida Authority for Metro station
September 09, 2006
The Botanical Garden of India Republic (BGIR) today returned close to 10 acres of land to the Noida Authority for the construction of a metro station in Sector 38A after a long battle. Now that the land for construction of metro station has been cleared, work is expected to start from tomorrow.
As of now allotment of land for Botanical Garden is pending before the UP government. It will decide whether the entire Botanical Garden project will be canceled or not.
» Test Piling Work Started; Traffic Flow Disrupted
September 1, 2006
When commuting on the road between Gol Chakkar and Sector 19, people of Delhi will find a familiar Blue cover up on the middle of the road - Delhi Metro Under Construction.
Construction of Test Piles from Gol Chakkar till Sector 19 traffic signal is in full swing. Pits are dug up in the middle of the road on the divider which have now started to cause disruption of traffic. You can expect long jams at peak hour from Gol Chakkar till Sector 19. To ease the traffic flow a road on the Sector 2 side open space is in construction, that should compensate when full construction takes away a portion of the road. This road construction is currently from Gol Chakkar till end of Sector 2.
There will not be enough room to create an extra road at Atta market, so the current road will get further narrowed down and will get closed for the traffic in coming days.
» Electric Poles and Road Lights removed on the Metro
Route
August 2, 2006
The Road Lights are in the process of getting removed on the Metro Route. Required areas are getting cleared and digging has started at many places on the route.
Note: click the image for bigger picture
The difficult phase for the Noida people has started, now this road will not be lit at night and soon will be narrowed down by construction, choking it further with already mounting traffic. For three years it will remain like that and Noidites will have to bear it for a better future.
»
Formal start of Noida Metro construction from 2nd August 2006
August 1, 2006
Inauguration of Noida Metro - click for
bigger image
»
Noida botanical garden plan withers, makes way for Metro
July 12, 2006
The plans to build world’s largest botanical garden in Noida’s is gone and it will be used instead of making a Metro station. The 200 acres of botanical garden was to be completed in five years (from 1997), but even the construction has not yet started by Botanical Garden of Indian Republic. So now 10 acres of that will be used for Noida Metro station, which would have otherwise brought down several houses.
»
Noida Metro on track, work starts in Aug
July 8, 2006
THE Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) will start construction on the Metro link to Noida from August 1. Tender for removal of sewer lines, telephone lines and electricity poles has already been awarded. Traffic diversions along these routes have already started. Around 400 street-lights and 100 high-tension wire poles would have to be removed. Some trees along the route will also have to be removed. Work is in progress at Sector 11 and a DMRC office is coming up at Sector 19.
»
UP refuses land for Metro project
May 16, 2006
UP is refusing to part with 14 hectares of land required by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) for its work on the banks of Yamuna.
» Metro Rail Act needs amendment before it can enter Noida
April 24, 2006
Final hurdle remaining between Noida and Metro is the amendment to the Act governing metro rail.
Govt seeks amendment to Delhi Metro Act
»
Noida first on Metro map outside Delhi
April 4, 2006 (The Times Of India)
» Noida Officially is first City to get Extension to Delhi
Metro; MOU signed
April 4, 2006
Today at 11 AM DMRC and Noida Authority signed MOU for extension of Metro to Noida, thus officially making Noida the first city to get extension of Metro from Delhi. Gurgaon, Ghaziabad and Faridabad are the other cities for which Metro is in planning. With this Noida Metro went into design phase, for which the first installment of Rs. 5 Cr will be handed over to DMRC by the Noida Authority. This 7 KM route from New Ashok Nagar to Noida City Center will cost around Rs 611 Cr, out of which 15% will be shelled by the Central Govt and remaining 85% by the Noida Authority.
MOU also spelt the followingUP Govt to give electricity on no profit no loss basis
Understanding on Custom DUty, Sales Tax and Excise Duty
Some of the houses in Sector 14, Noida are to be demolished for the Metro construction. These houses are on the outskirt of the sector and near the road from where the Metro will pass.
Uttar Pradesh Government cleared the Noida Metro project today and approved Rs 736-crore budget.
Noida Metro allocation in UP budget to extend Delhi metro to Noida.
