Aqua Line’s Botanical Garden extension work set to begin next month

Noida: Noida Metro Rail Corporation (NMRC) is set to push ahead with the Aqua Line extension, with tenders likely next month for two corridors — an 11.56-km Botanical Garden-Sector 142 stretch and a 2.6-km Depot-Boraki link.

The extensions are aimed at improving the last-mile connectivity across Noida and Greater Noida. It will enable seamless travel to IGI Airport via the Magenta Line interchange at Botanical Garden.The Botanical Garden-Sector 142 corridor received approval from the Centre in Feb this year, while the Depot-Boraki stretch was cleared in July last year, paving the way for execution of the two key infrastructure projects.According to project details, the Botanical Garden-Sector 142 corridor will span 11.56 km and include eight elevated stations — Botanical Garden, Sector 44, Sector 96 (Noida Authority office), Sector 97, Sector 105, Sector 108 (police commissionerate), Sector 93 and Panchsheel Balak Inter College in Sector 91. The project, estimated at Rs 2,254 crore, is expected to be completed within three years.The corridor is strategically significant as it will directly connect Botanical Garden — a major interchange for the Blue Line and Magenta Line — with key sectors and further improve access towards Greater Noida and Jewar. This will also help people take the metro to Indira Gandhi International Airport.

The shorter Depot-Boraki route, estimated at Rs 416 crore, will include two stations — Junpat and Boraki. This stretch assumes importance as it will link the proposed Multimodal Transport Hub (MMTH) at Boraki village, which will also house an Inter-State Bus Terminal (ISBT) and a railway passenger terminal, making the metro extension crucial for seamless multimodal transport integration.Kranti Shekhar, OSD, Noida Authority, and executive director, NMRC, said that the tenders to hire developers will be issued next month.

“Recently, NMRC issued a tender to hire a general consultant for the two projects. The general consultant (GC) will be tasked with supporting NMRC in delivering two elevated metro corridors,” he said.The GC will undertake validation studies, reviewing the Detailed Project Report (DPR), alignment, geotechnical data and system requirements. It will also assist in preparing tender documents to hire developers, define specifications and support contract award processes.

During execution, it will also play a central role in supervision and monitoring. It will oversee construction activities, ensure adherence to quality, safety and environmental norms.Once the GC is selected, tenders for the two projects will be issued in a month.Last year, NMRC hired a detail design consultant, which has prepared the designs for civil, architectural, electrical and mechanical components for the two extension projects.At present, Aqua Line connects Noida Sector 51 to Depot Station in Greater Noida and records an average daily ridership of around 58,281 passengers, as per March 2026 data.