Noida Metro


The Noida Metro is a rapid transit system connecting the twin cities of Noida and Greater Noida in Gautam Buddh Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, India. The metro network consists of one line, with a total length of serving 21 stations. A second line is planned. The system has all elevated stations using standard-gauge tracks.
The services are available from 6:00am to 10:00pm from Monday to Saturday. On Sundays, trains are available between 8:00am and 10:00pm. The trains make 163 trips a day from Monday to Friday using a fleet of 10 trains and the frequency is 10 minutes during peak hours and 15 minutes during off-peak hours. On Saturday and Sunday the frequency is 10 minutes. Initially, the trains are composed of four cars to be extended up to six in the future.
Noida Metro is the 11th Metro system to be built in India. It is the sixth longest operational metro network in India after the Delhi Metro, Hyderabad Metro, Chennai Metro,Namma Metro and Kolkata Metro.
Noida Metro Rail Corporation, a state-owned corporation, is building and owns the system. In the first year, the line will be operated by DMRC. The line connects to Delhi Metro at Noida Sector 51 station. Foundation for the NMRC project was laid down in October 2014, with the construction being commenced by the end of December 2014 by then Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Akhilesh Yadav. Trial runs started in August 2018, and the metro was inaugurated on 25 January 2019 by Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath.

History

The Uttar Pradesh government approved the construction of a metro line linking Noida with Greater Noida in October 2014. The government also appointed the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation as the turnkey consultant for the project.
The detailed project report was prepared by the DMRC. A Special Purpose Vehicle called the Noida Metro Rail Corporation was formed to implement the project. The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet approved the project and forwarded the DPR to Government of India in October 2013. The Government of India and UP will each bear 20% of the costs and loans from external agencies would be taken to fund the rest 60% of the project. Twenty percent funding from UP will be shared by Noida and Greater Noida Authorities, based on the length of track that passes through the two areas.
The NMRC announced on 30 November 2016 that the first line of the metro would be called the Aqua Line. Explaining the choice, NMRC managing director Santosh Yadav stated, "Aqua signifies an eco-friendly colour, which is what we want to portray." The project received safety clearance from the commissioner of metro rail safety on 21 December 2018.
The Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority approved an extension of the Aqua Line as part of Phase 2 of the metro project on 4 December 2018. The 15 km extension will link Noida Sector 71 to Knowledge Park 5 in Greater Noida. The extension will consist of nine stations and is expected to cost. The new stations are Sector 122 and Sector 123 in Noida and Sector 4, Ecotech 12, Sectors 2, Sector 3, Sector 10, Sector 12 and Knowledge Park V in Greater Noida.

Timeline

Phase 1

Noida Sector 51 to Depot

Phase 1

The operated Aqua Line has 21 stations. The line starts from Noida Sector 51 metro station and will run through sectors 50, 76, 101, 81, NSEZ, 83, 137, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147 and 148; after this it will enter Greater Noida and will go through Knowledge Park-II, Pari Chowk, Alpha-1, Delta-1 and GNIDA Office before terminating in Depot Station. The entire route will be on elevated track. This line will have an interchange station with the Delhi Metro at Noida Sector 52 metro station.
All stations are equipped with platform screen doors.

Phase 2

The new metro rail track connecting Noida and Greater Noida will be 15-km long with nine stations spread out between the densely populated areas of Gaur City and Noida Extension, according to officials.
The Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday approved the construction of the extension of the Aqua Line at a cost of ₹2,682 crore, UP Industrial Development Minister Satish Mahana said in Lucknow.
He said the project is expected to be completed in the next three years.
According to the detailed project report, the new track would be completed in two phases and the entire project would connect Sector 71 in Noida and Knowledge Park V in Greater Noida.
The first phase would be between Sector 71 and Greater Noida Sector 2, while the second phase would be between Greater Noida Sector 2 and Knowledge Park V stations, the DPR stated.
There will be five stations in the first phase—Noida Sector 122, Sector 123, Greater Noida Sector 4, Eco Tech, and Greater Noida 2, while four stations in second phase—Greater Noida Sector 3, Sector 10, Sector 12 and Knowledge Park V.
The Noida Metro Rail Corporation commenced operations of the Aqua Line on 25 January.
The line has 21 stations and runs from the Sector 51 station in Noida to the Depot station in Greater Noida, covering a distance of 29.7 km via 21 stations. The corridor was completed at a cost of ₹5,503 crore, according to the NMRC.
The proposed extension of the metro line from Sector 71 station in Noida to Knowledge Park V in Greater Noida is expected to connect the densely populated areas of Gaur City and Noida Extension to the NMRC Aqua Line and adjoining DMRC Blue Line network.
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation had first prepared and submitted the DPR in December 2016, it was then taken up in the 18th board meeting of the NMRC in 2018.

Infrastructure

Rolling stock

The metro uses lightweight rakes made of stainless steel and aluminium, manufactured by China's CRRC Corporation. Each train has a seating capacity of 186 and a standing capacity of 848, with total capacity of 1,034 passengers. Nineteen rakes with four coaches each, a total of 76 coaches, will operate of the Aqua Line. The cost of each coach is. Trains are equipped with a passenger information system, a public address system and an emergency announcement system from the operation control centre.

Power

All 21 stations, the train depot, and the NMRC offices will be powered by solar energy. The NMRC will install solar panels on the rooftops of all stations, footbridges, its main office building, the depot and parking lot boundary walls to generate an estimated 12 MW of solar power daily. The metro system will also be supplemented with conventional electricity, which will also be used as a back up. Trains will not be powered by solar power, and will instead use conventional power supply.

Signaling

The metro is operated under CBTC control, supplied by Ansaldo STS.

City bus & Feeder bus

In the first phase, 50 AC CNG buses low floor buses are being operated on 6 routes. Noida and Greater Noida authorities were given the responsibility of running the City Bus Service in the ratio of 70:30 to the Noida Metro Rail Corporation. Urban Mass Transit Company presented the assessment of requirement of buses on 27 routes by conducting a survey for the city bus service and monitoring will be done by Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation. While one route will provide service as Metro feeder buses, two routes will cover intra city service, while one route will be for intra connectivity in Greater Noida city. Two routes have also been dedicated for connectivity between the cities of Noida and Greater Noida.
The salient features of buses operated are:
1. All buses are air conditioned buses propelled with BS-IV CNG fuel
2. Technical specification of buses compatible with Urban Bus Specification –II as published by MOUD Govt. of India
3. The entry floor height of the bus is 340 mm, the first of its kind in India
4. The bus has provision of a kneeling mechanism with manual ramp for disabled persons
5. The bus is completely ITS equipped with PIS Boards and LED boards
6. CCTV have been fitted inside the bus for safety of passengers

Operations

Trains will operate at an average speed of with a headway of ten minutes during non-peak hours and 7.30 minutes during peak hours from Monday to Friday, 15 minutes headway for Saturday and Sunday.