Residents of Noida, Mayur Vihar, and nearby areas can board a Metro train from their places beginning next week as the DMRC is planning to inaugurate the much-awaited Noida corridor that connects the national capital with the satellite city on Thursday.
The 13.1 km line between Yamuna Bank to Noida City Centre (Sector-32) will be inaugurated on Thursday as the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CMRS) will inspect the line on Tuesday and Wednesday.
“Subject to receiving the clearance from the CMRS, it is planned to have a ceremonial flag—off in the Delhi and Noida area respectively on November 12,” DMRC Chief Public Relations Officer Anuj Dayal said.
This will be the first time a Metro train will officially enter the National Capital Region.
The section is planned to be opened for the general public from 6 am on November 13, he said.
Piers strengthened
The inauguration of the Yamuna Bank-Noida Sector 32 line, which was originally scheduled to be opened by October, was delayed as the overcautious DMRC was strengthening around 8 piers on the line.
The DMRC decided to strengthen the piers after hairline cracks were found on them.
The DMRC had last month said it is planning to open the section before the India International Trade Fair begins on November 14 to enable people from Noida to visit the trade fair through Metro
The line, once opened, will bring a paradigm shift in the travelling habits of thousands of people in trans-Yamuna areas, Mayur Vihar, Ashok Nagar and Noida.
This is also expected to reduce traffic on the Noida Highway as well as on the ITO junction.
DMRC has projected that about 53,000 passengers per day are expected to join the new age transport system after the opening of the Noida corridor.
New broadguage trains
The line will have new broadguage trains, procured from Bombardier, and the DMRC is planning to introduce more trains to tackle rush on the section.
The Yamuna Bank-Noida City Centre Metro corridor is completely elevated and has 10 stations and will be integrated with the existing 34.3 km Yamuna Bank-Dwarka Sector-9 segment, extending the total length of Line-3 to 47.4 km.
Decks were cleared for the DMRC to cross Delhi and enter NCR in July 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.
Newlook
The Metro stations on the 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).
The technique is mostly used in the exterior portion of malls and other modern buildings to provide an aesthetic and modern look.
Parking facility has been provided at all stations till New Ashok Nagar and in Noida at Botanical Garden and Noida City Centre Metro stations.
The Akshardham Station on the section will be one of the most aesthetic Metro stations so far as it has been designed to match the look of the Akshardham Temple located nearby.
Tallest Metro station
The station will also be the tallest Metro station built so far, having six levels and standing 16.5 metres above the ground and 21 metres from the basement.
Earlier, the Kashmere Gate Metro station which stands 15 metres above the ground was the tallest station.
In order to make sure that the station blends well with the locale which houses the sprawling Akshardham Temple, DMRC decided to use Dholpur stone on the exterior of the station structure as has been done in the temple too.
Provision has also been made at the upper ground and concourse levels of the station for commuters to enjoy the magnificent view of the temple.
The station will be connected to the Games Village by a road being constructed by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) from the front entrance of the station.
DDA is also constructing a bus shelter near the front entrance of the station for the convenience of commuters using public transport.