Noida: Noida Metro Rail Corporation (NMRC) plans to get a foot overbridge (FOB) to connect Aqua Line’s Sector 51 metro station to Blue Line’s Sector 52 metro station constructed in the next six months. A tender has been floated for the 420-metre-long and five-metre-wide L-shaped FOB project.
Currently, there is a 300-metre walkway linking the two metro stations. But several commuters opt out as the walkway is not convenient for them. And as the ridership of Aqua Line is indirectly influenced by the connectivity with the Blue Line for those travelling to Delhi and vice-versa, the Noida Metro wants the FOB to be built at the earliest. The average daily ridership of the Aqua Line metro is around 22,500.
“In the current scenario, people have to exit the station (Sector 52) and walk down the distance or catch e-rickshaws in order to board the metro for Noida/ Greater Noida, which causes inconvenience to a majority of the commuters. Thus, most of the commuters tend to commute by different means of transport such as an auto or cab to reach their final destination in the mentioned regions,” as per the tender document.
Manoj Vajpayee, general manager (technical), NMRC, said that to provide seamless connectivity, “NMRC has invited e-bids for the construction, development, operation and maintenance of a covered FOB connecting the two stations”. “This will come as a major assistance to people, especially to the children, senior citizens and the differently abled for an easy transition between the two stations.”
The project will be leased for seven years, which can be further extended for up to 10 years, said officials. The last date of application is March 31, 2022.
In January 2021, NMRC issued a tender to shift the walkway as the land was allocated to a Swedish company. “However, as of now, there is no plan to shift the walkway,” Vajpayee said.
Currently, there is a 300-metre walkway linking the two metro stations. But several commuters opt out as the walkway is not convenient for them. And as the ridership of Aqua Line is indirectly influenced by the connectivity with the Blue Line for those travelling to Delhi and vice-versa, the Noida Metro wants the FOB to be built at the earliest. The average daily ridership of the Aqua Line metro is around 22,500.
“In the current scenario, people have to exit the station (Sector 52) and walk down the distance or catch e-rickshaws in order to board the metro for Noida/ Greater Noida, which causes inconvenience to a majority of the commuters. Thus, most of the commuters tend to commute by different means of transport such as an auto or cab to reach their final destination in the mentioned regions,” as per the tender document.
Manoj Vajpayee, general manager (technical), NMRC, said that to provide seamless connectivity, “NMRC has invited e-bids for the construction, development, operation and maintenance of a covered FOB connecting the two stations”. “This will come as a major assistance to people, especially to the children, senior citizens and the differently abled for an easy transition between the two stations.”
The project will be leased for seven years, which can be further extended for up to 10 years, said officials. The last date of application is March 31, 2022.
In January 2021, NMRC issued a tender to shift the walkway as the land was allocated to a Swedish company. “However, as of now, there is no plan to shift the walkway,” Vajpayee said.