Blue Line-Aqua Line FOB tender to be out by Aug 20, feeder bus service in offing

The tender for construction of a foot-over bridge (FOB) linking the Delhi Metro's Blue Line with Noida Metro's Aqua Line will be floated by August 20, officials said on Friday.

An expression of interest (EoI) has also been floated for a feeder bus service from metro stations with August 18 being the last date for submission of application, they said.

Noida Metro Rail Corporation (NMRC) managing director Ritu Maheshwari shared the information after the corporation’s 32nd board meeting held here on Friday.

''The Board discussed expediting the government of India approval of DPR from Sector-51 to Knowledge Park-V as early as possible for ease of commuters and ridership enhancement,'' Maheshwari said.

''The Board was also informed regarding FOB between Sector-51 and 52 metro stations will be now be constructed by NOIDA Authority and the work is under process. Estimation for the FOB is prepared and the tender is likely to be floated latest by August 20, 2022,'' she said in a statement.

The senior IAS officer said the board was further informed that the NMRC is taking active efforts for providing last-mile connectivity to the commuters.

''For this purpose, the NMRC has recently floated an EoI for providing feeder bus service on PPP Model whose last date of submission of application is August 18, 2022,'' Maheshwari said.

The demand for the FOB to link Blue Line's Sector 52 and Aqua Line's Sector 51 metro stations has been raised repeatedly by residents ever since the rail services started for the public in January 2019.

Currently, there is a dedicated pathway that is around 300 metre long to connect the two stations. Residents claim an FOB would have saved them the hassle of exiting and entering metro stations and double security checks.

The residents have also been demanding a bus service for intra and inter-city travelling as Noida, adjoining Delhi, lacks one.

The board meeting was chaired by Kamran Rizvi, Chairman (NMRC) and Additional Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

During the meeting, the Board gave its approvals for the financial statement 2021-22 and the statutory report thereon, the internal audit report and for appointment of an internal audit firm for the next financial year, according to the statement.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)