GHAZIABAD (Metro Rail News): The Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) and Delhi Metro have collaborated on a new proposal for a metro route that will link two ends of the Blue Line. This initiative comes after the Uttar Pradesh government rejected funding proposals for the Electronic City to Sahibabad and Vaishali to Mohan Nagar metro extension projects.
Under the new plan, trains will run between Vaishali and Electronic City, allowing passengers from Noida and Ghaziabad to access both legs of the Blue Line. Currently, Blue Line trains from Delhi follow a common route until Yamuna Bank, after which they split into the Vaishali and Electronic City lines.
The 5.8-kilometre proposed route from Vaishali to Electronic City will pass over NH-9 and go around the CISF camp and Indirapuram. After making a turn close to the Ramlila Ground, it will continue on to Vaishali, going past Niti Khand, Gyan Khand, and Ramprastha Greens.
Compared to the previously proposed routes, the estimated cost for this route is significantly lower, at approximately Rs 1,166 crore, as opposed to Rs 3,325 crore. The earlier projects included the Vaishali to Mohan Nagar extension, estimated at Rs 1,808 crore, and the Electronic City to Sahibabad route, expected to cost Rs 1,517 crore.
Funding has been a major obstacle for the GDA since 2018. The state government did not approve the proposed funding ratio suggested by the GDA, which sought 50% of the project cost from the state government, 20% from the Centre, and the remaining portion through rolling stocks shared by the DMRC, GDA, GMC, Housing Board, and UPSIDC.
Considering the diminished utility of the Vaishali to Mohan Nagar extension due to the proximity of the RapidX corridor, the GDA has opted for a single route instead of two. The Sahibabad RapidX station on the 17km priority line is only a kilometre away from Vaishali metro station, and a skywalk has already been constructed by the NCR Transport Corporation for multimodal integration.
The GDA and Delhi Metro will conduct a joint inspection of the proposed Vaishali-Electronic City route, followed by the preparation of a Detailed Project Report (DPR) by the metro corporation. The proposed funding pattern involves 50% of the project cost being borne by the Centre, 30% by the state, and the remaining 20% shared by agencies such as GDA, UP State Industrial Development Authority, and the Housing Board, according to RK Singh, the district magistrate and GDA vice-chairperson.
