Trial run begins on Blue Line's new 6.8km section

Trials began on Friday on the 6.8-km long Noida City Centre — Noida Electronic City, which is an extension of the presently operational Dwarka Sector 21 — Noida City Centre (Line 3), also called the Blue Line. These trials are preliminary in nature, which will soon be followed by the signalling trials.

This entirely elevated section will have six stations-Sector 34, Sector 52, Sector 61, Sector 59, Sector 62 and Electronic City.

During the trial runs, the interaction of the Metro train with physical infringements (civil structure) will be checked to ensure that there is no physical blockage during the movement of the train on the track. The entire signalling system will also undergo rigorous testing, a senior official of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) said. In addition, the response of the train at different speeds, braking of the train and the interconnection with the Operations Control Centre (OCC) will also be monitored during the trials. The behaviour of the track system and the overhead electrification (OHE) will be checked repeatedly during all the trials.

Construction of this corridor was a major challenge as the alignment is close to the busy National Highway 24. "The entire corridor has been constructed on the central verge and passes through extremely busy and congested residential as well as commercial areas of Noida which also has non - stop traffic running throughout the day. Only the Noida Electronic City station, which falls on the border of Noida and Ghaziabad is off the road," the official added.

This would be DMRC's third Metro Line in Noida. The Noida — Greater Noida Line of Noida Metro Rail Corporation is also going to be opened for the public soon. Noida's Sector 62 is an established commercial area with a number of commercial establishments and offices. Thousands of people travel to this location from Delhi for work. The opening of this corridor will reduce travel time for people commuting from Delhi to Noida Sector 62, besides facilitating ease of commute and improving connectivity.

Currently, the 49.93-km long Blue Line (Line 3) operates between Dwarka Sector 21 and Noida City Centre. After the opening of this 6.8-km long section, the entire Blue Line (Line 3) will become 56.73 km in length, the second longest corridor of Delhi Metro after Majlis Park-Shiv Vihar corridor which is 59 km long.

The Benefit

• Noida’s Sector 62 is an established commercial area. Thousands of people travel to this location from Delhi for work. 
• The opening of this corridor will reduce travel time for people commuting from Delhi to Noida Sector 62, besides facilitating ease of commute and improving connectivity.