The Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) has renewed efforts to push forward the long-delayed Noida Electronic City–Sahibabad metro project by seeking central funds under the 16th Finance Commission, the Times of India reported. A proposal worth Rs 2,441 crore has been sent to the Uttar Pradesh government, of which Rs 1,873 crore is earmarked for the metro extension, officials said on Monday.
The 5-km elevated corridor, an extension of Delhi Metro’s Blue Line, is designed to improve connectivity between Noida and Ghaziabad, particularly for high-density residential areas such as Indirapuram, Vasundhara, and Vaishali. GDA Vice Chairperson Atul Vats said the authority has written to the state government seeking support for funding through central grants.
"Over 5 lakh residents have long demanded a metro link to Noida. This project will not only provide critical last-mile connectivity but will also integrate with the Namo Bharat RRTS corridor, which passes through Sahibabad,” Vats was quoted as saying by TOI.
Corridor part of DMRC’s nationwide proposal
- The corridor has also been included in a larger proposal by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) that outlines 16 new metro routes across India, including this link between Noida Electronic City and Sahibabad. GDA believes this strengthens the case for central support.
- According to the proposed alignment, the corridor will start from Noida Electronic City and have five stations: Vaibhav Khand, DPS Indirapuram, and Shakti Khand (all on CISF Road in Indirapuram), Vasundhara Sector 5, and Sahibabad.
- The project is estimated to require 26,691 sqm of land, including 7,690 sqm of private land valued at approximately Rs 223 crore.
Years of delay due to funding hurdles
- First proposed in 2018, the metro corridor has seen repeated delays primarily due to a lack of funding.
- Despite multiple attempts by GDA to propose alternate funding models, including the formation of a special purpose vehicle (SPV) and requests for joint central-state support, the project failed to move forward.
- The initial Detailed Project Report (DPR) estimated the cost at Rs 1,517 crore in 2018. However, the cost has now escalated to Rs 1,873 crore due to inflation and revised land acquisition estimates.
Finance Commission route explored
The GDA is now banking on the constitutional framework of the Finance Commission, which is mandated under Article 280 to recommend revenue distribution between the Centre and states every five years. Ghaziabad, like other districts, receives annual grants, and GDA hopes the metro project can be funded under this provision.
Officials believe that with both increasing population pressure and the corridor’s link to national infrastructure like the RRTS, the metro extension warrants urgent funding and execution.