Noida: Noida Metro Rail Corporation (NMRC) has selected Larsen & Toubro (L&T) to construct two upcoming metro corridors — an 11.56-km stretch from Botanical Garden to Sector 142 and a 2.6-km extension from Depot to Boraki. The projects are expected to be developed in three years.The Botanical Garden-Sector 142 corridor will directly improve commuters’ access to Greater Noida and Jewar while linking Botanical Garden with key sectors.Estimated to cost around Rs 2,254.35 crore, the corridor will have eight elevated stations — Botanical Garden, Sector 44, Sector 96 (Noida Authority office), Sector 97, Sector 105, Sector 108 (Police Commissionerate), Sector 93 and Panchsheel Balak Inter College in Sector 91.The Depot-Boraki extension, estimated at Rs 416 crore, will have two stations — Junpat and Boraki. It will connect the proposed Multimodal Transport Hub (MMTH) at Boraki village, which will include an Interstate Bus Terminal (ISBT) and a railway passenger terminal, making the extension a key link for multimodal connectivity.NMRC general manager (projects) Pradeep Yadav said tenders for the two corridors were floated in April to appoint an executing agency. “Nine agencies showed interest in the projects. L&T emerged as the lowest bidder and was therefore selected,” Yadav said.He added that the construction work for both projects will begin within a month.Last year, NMRC hired a Detail Design Consultant (DDC), which prepared the designs for civil, architectural, electrical and mechanical components for the two extension projects. Following this, a general consultant (GC) was hired to undertake validation studies, reviewing the detailed project report (DPR), alignment, geotechnical data and system requirements. The GC helped in preparing tender documents to hire a developer and support contract award processes.NMRC is also exploring a public-private partnership model for co-branding of upcoming metro stations on the two corridors. NMRC has invited expressions of interest (EOI) from reputed multinational companies for financing, construction, operation and maintenance of an identified metro station, in lieu of that NMRC shall grant naming rights, commercial spaces and advertising rights for a fixed lease period.At present, the Aqua Line connects Noida Sector 51 to Depot Station in Greater Noida and records an average daily ridership of around 61,811 passengers, according to NMRC data for June 2026.Once the Botanical Garden-Sector 142 route is developed, the ridership of Botanical Garden metro station, which has recorded the highest ridership in the last three months on the DMRC network, will increase further. Botanical Garden metro station has emerged as the busiest station, surpassing longtime leader Kashmere Gate in passenger footfall. The interchange station, which connects the Blue Line and Magenta Line, recorded an average daily footfall of 2.71 lakh passengers in June, ahead of Kashmere Gate’s 2.57 lakh.NMRC is also planning to develop a third route from Sector 51 to Greater Noida West Sector 4, comprising five stations. Last month, the Public Investment Board (PIB) cleared the project, which is expected to start after it receives final approval from the Union Cabinet.
