You can now take Metro Blue Line up to Noida Electronic City
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated the 6.6-km Noida City Centre-Noida Electronic City section, an extension of the Delhi Metro's Blue Line in the neighbouring city. The prime minister inaugurated the facility during an event held in Greater Noida.
It was thrown open for the general public at around 4 pm on the same day. "Services began at 4 pm today. The frequency of trains on this new section during peak hours would be 5 minutes and 26 seconds," a senior Delhi Metro Rail Corporation official said.
This 6.6 kilometre long section has six elevated stations. This section is an extension of the Dwarka Sector 21 - Noida City Centre Blue Line of Delhi Metro network. Now the Delhi Metro network has become 373 km long with 271 stations (including the Noida-Greater Noida corridor).
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Greater Noida said, "Earlier Noida was known for various land scams. Today Noida is known for the new development opportunities. Noida is growing as a big hub for Make in India. Uttar Pradesh is changing,"
"Now, with an operational network of 375 km, DMRC becomes world's 5th largest metro network after Beijing, Shanghai, Moscow and London," said Durga Shankar Mishra, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
The Noida extension line will benefit the people of Noida and bring the Blue Line close to the recently-opened Aqua Line — run by Noida Metro, which connects Noida and Greater Noida.
However, both lines have different travel cards at the moment, unlike the Rapid Metro in Gurgaon, wherein DMRC metro cards are valid for travel.
The Sector 52 station of the DMRC's Blue Line is very close to the Sector-51 station on the Aqua Line, operated by the Noida Metro Rail Corporation (NMRC) and its commuters are awaiting last-mile connectivity between the two lines.
Services also began on Saturday morning on the 9.63-km-long Dilshad Garden-Shaheed Sthal (New Bus Adda) section, an extension of the Delhi Metro's Red Line to Ghaziabad, a day after Modi flagged off the section, making the DMRC foray into the interiors of Ghaziabad for the first time.
In a statement issued on Friday, the Prime Minister's Office said, "The new section will provide a convenient and faster mode of transport for the residents of Noida. It will also decongest the roads and provide an environment-friendly mode of transport." Modi also laid the foundation stone of 1,320-mw thermal power plant in Khurja, Bulandshahr, from Greater Noida and for 1320 mw power plant in Buxar, Bihar via video link.
Earlier, he unveiled a statue of Deendayal Upadhyaya on the campus of Pt Deendayal Upadhyaya Institute of Archaeology in Greater Noida.Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Union minister Mahesh Sharma were present at the event.
