Ghaziabad authority approves Vaishali to Mohan Nagar Metro extension

On Thursday, the GDA held a meeting with DMRC and NCR Transport Corporation (NCRTC), which is developing the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) project, and held discussions over the two proposed extensions.

The Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) on Thursday approved the proposal for Metro extension from Vaishali to Mohan Nagar, 20 months after the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation had submitted the detailed project reports (DPRs). The DMRC will now finalise the DPR for the same.

The Vaishali to Mohan Nagar link will be an extension of DMRC’s Blue Line which will provide Ghaziabad commuters with a direct connection to central Delhi. (HT File)

The development follows a meeting among the government, DMRC and GDA officials held in Lucknow on November 15. The UP principal secretary has directed the GDA’s vice-chairperson to take a call on the route and send a final DPR to the state government.

The Vaishali to Mohan Nagar link will be an extension of DMRC’s Blue Line which will provide Ghaziabad commuters with a direct connection to central Delhi. Commuters from the city and Sahibabad can also take the Blue Line at the Mohan Nagar interchange.

On Thursday, the GDA held a meeting with DMRC and NCR Transport Corporation (NCRTC), which is developing the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) project, and held discussions over the two proposed extensions.

“We found that extending the already-operational Anand Vihar to Vaishali route to Mohan Nagar will be cost-effective and also advantageous in terms of ridership it will attract. Besides, it will be constructed on the median of the Link Road (Mohan Nagar to Anand Vihar) and we may not have to acquire private land,” said Kanchan Verma, GDA vice-chairperson.

“We have asked the DMRC to prepare the final DPR for Vaishali to Mohan Nagar extension along with the funding pattern. Earlier, they had refused to contribute towards the rolling stock but we are still not ruling out the possibility of them contributing. In the DPR, we have suggested a provision of a station along with a shed so that Sector 63 Metro extension can terminate at Sahibabad easily,” she said.

Officials concerned said that the NCRTC has already finalised and awarded tenders for the construction of RRTS project in Ghaziabad and may not allow a change in the alignment.

The DMRC officials declined to comment over the development.

Under the RRTS project, the NCRTC has proposed an RRTS station at Sahibabad, which will be near the Metro station proposed under the extension. “The two stations will be close and can be connected by an open bridge or skywalk for commuters to interchange between the two systems. All the pros and cons of the two extensions were discussed and the DMRC will now submit the final DPR for Vaishali to Mohan Nagar extension within 10-15 days, at the most,” Verma said.

The GDA has already apprised UP officials about the need for state funding earlier, in writing, and also in the November 15, as the GDA will not be able to fund the high-cost project.

Prior to the November 15 meeting held at Lucknow, the DMRC had written to the UP officials that they need final approval of the DPR from GDA and also requested payment of ₹150.98 crore, due for the Dilshad Garden to Shaheed Sthal (New Bus Adda) extension and about ₹63.27 crore, for the Shiv Vihar Metro line (in Loni).

In the meeting, the UP officials had told DMRC that the payment of ₹150.98 crore will be expedited. The GDA said that for the Shiv Vihar line, they have not entered into an agreement with the DMRC and hence, the payment will be made by the state government.

The process for the two new extensions in Ghaziabad started in February 2018, when DMRC submitted DPRs for extending Vaishali to Mohan Nagar and sector 63 Electronic City, Noida to Sahibabad.

Later, revisions were sought but till November 15, the GDA was ready to go ahead with the Sector 63 route, while extending it up to Mohan Nagar. The DMRC, in February 2018, had pegged the cost for Vaishali extension at about ₹1,785 crore while the other Sector 63 extension was pegged at ₹1,926 crore.