Delhi Metro NOIDA phase Started, will help to ease commuting in NCR

On Friday morning, when Delhi Metro’s first train will chug out of NOIDA at 6am, it won’t only bridge the distance between the capital and its glitzy satellite township but also reinforce the idea of seamless travel in the national capital region (NCR).

In 36 minutes, commuters from the last stop in NOIDA will land right in the heart of the Capital at CP in AC coaches. Those living in east Delhi areas like Mayur Vihar and Indraprastha(IP) Extension can also bid goodbye to unending traffic jams and long waits for buses.

The NOIDA line, an extension of the existing Line 3 (Yamuna Bank to Dwarka), was flagged off by Union Urban Development minister Jaipal Reddy and Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit from Akshardham Metro station on Thursday. It will be opened for public from Friday. ‘‘The project is one of the biggest achievements of the country in recent years,’’ said Reddy.

Dikshit said: ‘‘This is the first time that Delhi’s Metro is stepping out of the confines of the city. By afternoon, the Uttar Pradesh CM will receive the train at NOIDA City Centre.’’

About 7km of the 12.8km-long elevated line lies in NOIDA. The extension has 10 stations, with four in Delhi and six in NOIDA from where nearly 53,000 people are expected to board the Metro by 2011.

With this, the Delhi Metro network now spans across 90 km and covers 78 stations. The trains on the new line will run at a frequency of 11.5 minutes during the peak hour and 15 minutes during the off-peak hours in NOIDA section. To control the frequency, every train starting from NOIDA will go to Dwarka. But every third train starting from Dwarka will go all the way to NOIDA. The rest of the trains will turn back from Yamuna Bank.

According to the new timetable, 36 trains will run on the line and two trains have been kept on standby at the Dwarka and Yamuna Bank depots. ‘‘The timetable will be tested for 1-2 days before it is finalized. As more trains become available, every alternate train from Yamuna Bank will continue to NOIDA,’’ said a DMRC spokesperson.

Commuters will be able to park their vehicles at all Delhi stations, Yamuna Bank, Akshardham Temple, Mayur Vihar I, Mayur Vihar Extension, New Ashok Nagar and three stations in NOIDA Sector 15,

Botanical Garden and City Centre. The two Mayur Vihar stations will also be connected by an already existing feeder bus route that starts from Shastri Park Metro station till Vasundhara Enclave via Geeta Colony Road, Akshardham Temple, NOIDA Link Road, Mayur Vihar Phase-1, Mayur Vihar Phase-1 Extension, Chilla Sarda Bangar and Dharamshila Cancer Hospital, Vasundhara Enclave.

This is the first Delhi Metro line which has missed its deadline, but DMRC managing director E Sreedharan assured that the line is safe. ‘‘About 11 piers on the line were strengthened as a precaution after cracks were noticed,’’ he said.

To take the Metro to NOIDA, the Metro Railway Amendment Act, 2009, was enacted to amend the Metro Railways (Construction of Works) Act, 1978 and the Delhi Metro (Operation and Maintenance) Act, 2002 and their application has now been extended to the NCR.

The plan is to extend the Metro to all cities with a population of over 2 million. The matter was discussed at a meeting of NCR planning board on Wednesday. ‘‘The Metro will be allowed to go as far as possible out of Delhi, as long as the routes are commercially viable and the State governments take initiative. At the NCRPB meeting, it was discussed that there is demand for Metro from areas like Ferozabad and Ghaziabad,’’ Reddy added.

Spreading its fleet:

Delhi Metro’s NOIDA Extension (Yamuna Bank-NOIDA Sector 32 City Center)

Length 12.8 km

No of stations 10

Date of start of construction Oct 2006

Expected ridership (2011) 53,000 daily

Cost Rs 630 cr (approx for civil works)

Parking available at Akshardham station (Delhi) and three stations in NOIDA