Noida Metro Rail Corporation officials have said that over 37,000 passengers have availed rides on the Noida-Greater Noida metro in the first three days since its opening, with nearly 14,000 using the Aqua Line on Monday.
Noida Metro Rail Corporation officials have said that over 37,000 passengers have availed rides on the Noida-Greater Noida metro in the first three days since its opening, with nearly 14,000 using the Aqua Line on Monday.
The metro service between the twin-cities in Gautam Buddh Nagar district was inaugurated last week on Friday by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and it opened for citizens the next day, January 26, albeit curtailed timings of 10 am to 5 pm.
However, residents of Noid and Greater Noida who expected an easy commute to Delhi with the newly-launched Aqua Line have been left disappointed with the new route.
Here is the reason:
1. Greater Noida resident left disappointed with Aqua Line
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Residents hoping to have a seamlessly easy travel between the satellite town and Delhi were disappointed to find that there is no connectivity between the Aqua and the Blue Line that connects Noida with Delhi.
2. Aqua Line: Sector 51 in Noida and the Depot Station in Greater Noida
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The Noida-Greater Noida rail corridor, known as the Aqua line, chugs between Sector 51 in Noida and the Depot Station in Greater Noida. However, to travel to Delhi, commuters have to go to Noida City Centre, which is the nearest Metro station on Blue Line, around six to seven kilometres away from Sector 51.
3. Do something to connect Sector 51 station with Blue Line, urge commuters
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Residents rue that the new rail line has failed to solve the purpose of connecting the two cities due to this reason. "Why would I travel first on Aqua Line and then go to Noida City Centre to board another train? I might as well take the Blue Line straight away to travel to the national capital. It looks like the authorities did not do a feasibility study to understand this basic point," Pawan Jha, a resident of Sector 135 said. "The Noida Metro Rail Corporation must do something to connect Aqua and Blue lines, otherwise it is of no use to so many of us living here," Deepali Yadav, another Noida resident said.
4. 'Need last mile connectivity'
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Daily passengers also are complaining about the lack of last mile connectivity on the Aqua Line route as well as the peeve of buying two different tickets. "I have no option but to either take an auto or cab to reach Noida City Centre. Till the time they connect Aqua and Blue corridors, the NMRC should provide for last mile connectivity," says Ragini Kaushal, a resident of Sector 93. Another resident Sanjay Mishra said, "I have to carry two different cards- one of DMRC and another of NMRC. It is very cumbersome. The authorities must address this."
5. 21 stations on 29.7-km Aqua Line
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Built at a cost of Rs 5,503 crore, the rail service caters 21 stations -- 15 of them in Noida and six in Greater Noida, spread over a distance of 29.7-km.
