The daily ridership of the Noida-Greater Noida Metro line, also known as the aqua line, crossed the 50,000 mark for the first time on October 17, 2022, announced the Noida Metro Rail Corporation (NMRC) on October 18, 2022. A landmark figure of 50,231 was recorded by the aqua line that links the twin cities of Noida and Greater Noida, breaking the earlier record of 48,852 on October 14 2022 and 48,396 on September 26 2022. The metro corridor was opened to the public in January 2019.
The Aqua line metro route in Noida covers 29.7 km, and runs between Sector 51 of Noida and Depot Station in Greater Noida, comprising 21 stations. The metro line was developed at Rs 5,503 crore, as per the officials.
According to Ritu Maheshwari, NMRC managing director, the NMRC attained a cumulative metro ridership figure of two crores and 12 lakhs in three years and eight months. This is despite the fact that metro operations had been suspended during 2020-2021 for almost 227 days owing to COVID-19 restrictions, she added.
The senior IAS officer credited the high-performance standards, punctuality, and reliability of the NMRC for rise in footfall on the metro route. According to her, travel time of commuters has reduced through the introduction of fast train service and rationalisation of the timetable. Further, there has been a reduction in travel time from 46 minutes to 43 minutes for normal trains with an average speed of 39 km per hour and 40 minutes for fast trains with an average speed of 42 km per hour.
See also: Aqua Line Metro Route Noida: Everything you wanted to know
The distance between Sector 52 metro station on the aqua line and Sector 51 metro station on blue line is just 300 metres. However, passengers are required to exit one system before boarding the other, facing hassles related to security checks and separate ticketing system.
As per the statement by NMRC, last-mile connectivity is provided by the NMRC through a pathway linking the Blue line and the Aqua line with a free e-rickshaw service.
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