The much awaited ‘Aqua Line’ of Metro Rail from Noida to Greater Noida was flagged off by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Union minister Hardeep Singh on January 25, 2019.

Vision: “A World Class Metro with Sustainable Development”

Mission: “To Provide Safe, Reliable & Eco-Friendly Transportation Services For People”

Highlights:

• The final and mandatory safety inspection of the corridor was done last month by the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) which gave its approval of the NMRC for launching commercial operations.
• Known as the Aqua line, the two Real estate hotspots metro would run between Sector 51 in Noida and Depot Station in Greater Noida.
• The 29.7-kilometer (18.5 mi) Aqua Line has 21 stations. The line starts from Noida Sector 51 metro station and will run through sectors 51, 50, 76, 101, 81, NSEZ, 83, 137, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147 and 148 in Noida; after this it will enter Greater Noida and will go through Knowledge Park-II, Pari Chowk, Alpha-1, Delta-1 and GNIDA Office before terminating in Depot Station. The entire route will be on elevated track. This line will have an interchange station with the Delhi Metro at Noida Sector 52 metro station.
• The 49th battalion of the UP Provincial Armed Constabulary has been entrusted with the responsibility of security on the Aqua Line, while some private security agency will also be deployed soon.
• The security personnel of the Aqua Line metro is being trained by the CISF (Central Industrial Security Force), which also guards the Delhi Metro.
• Clocking an average speed of 37.5 kmph. Trains are designed to run at a maximum speed of 80 kmph.
• All the stations will have platform screen doors for passenger safety. As of now, 102 lifts and 81 escalators have been commissioned.
• The Aqua line will have 19 rakes with 4 cars each. These all are lightweight cars made up of stainless steel. A four-coach rake will be able to carry 1034 passengers (maximum capacity).
• NMRC will have its own security system, ticketing system, and metro cards. Aqua line Metro cards will not be valid on Delhi metro and vice versa.

Connectivity to Delhi metro (Blue line metro):

• After getting off the Aqua Line, a commuter has to cover a stretch of 200 meters to take Delhi Metro’s Blue Line at Noida City Centre metro station as the Aqua Line does not directly connect the commuters with Blue Line metro.

Fare:

• The Noida Metro Rail Corporation Ltd had in December 2018 announced fares for the Aqua Line, with the minimum being ₹9 and the maximum ₹50. Commuters could by QR-coded paper tickets or use smart cards to take a ride.

Impact on Realty:

Developers, who have built residential projects in Greater Noida and Noida property markets pitch affordability as their USP’s when compared to Delhi and Gurgaon, Property in Noida and Greater Noida is way more affordable.

Still, builders are struggling to find buyers for their affordable housing projects, reason could be the absence of robust transport network was the biggest cause why homebuyers were not keen to invest in past half a decade amid rising new project launches in Noida and Greater Noida The Aqua line would inspire the home seekers to start making a move now also the housing demand and prices may rise in Noida and well as Greater Noida, with the launch of a new metro rail service, linking the twin cities in western Uttar Pradesh, according to real estate developers and consultants.

People who already own a property in Noida and Greater Noida would see the connectivity pain disappear, and worth of their asset moving up. Investors, who invested on the property here for rental income can relax and have a reason to cheer as they will have more takers due to improvements in connectivity, tenants willing to shell out more money. According to Haris Murshid of the Skydeck Infrastructure, rental prices may go up by five or six percent.

Aqua Line to boost housing demand in Noida, Greater Noida: Experts

”The upgrading of Infrastructure due to metro connectivity is expected to help in drive the demand for residential units in the region. Also, it is expected to have a positive fallout on the commercial and retails segments, as well,” said Abhinav Joshi, head of research for CBRE India. In the past also, Joshi said, metro lines have played a crucial role in uplifting the real estate profile of areas that it connects.

Realtors’ body CREDAI said that sectors along the Noida Expressway will have better connectivity now.

“Commuting will become easier from places like Noida Extension too. The market works on sentiment and the sentiment is positive in the real estate sector,” said Prashant Tiwari, president of CREDAI western UP. With improved infrastructure, he expects demand and rates for properties in Noida and Greater Noida region to get a big boost.

The new metro line has provided great relief to home buyers of this area, said Deepak Kapoor, director, Gulshan Homz. Dhiraj Jain, the director, Mahagun Group, said the benefit of the metro will be shared by both, the residents as well as the real estate sector.

“The inauguration of the Aqua Line will also hike the rates of the units by 20 percent in the area, along with a boost in sales,” Jain said. Sagar Saxena, project head for Spectrum Metro, said several commercial and housing projects are being developed in sectors along the route of the Aqua Line. “This is a big day for the realty sector of Noida and Greater Noida,” he said.

Around 2006, several projects were launched in sectors 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 51 and 50, when the average rates at that time were approximately Rs 2,000 per sq ft, said Haris Murshid of Skydeck Infrastructure, a commercial property consultant. “Today, the rates in these sectors is approximately around Rs 4,500 per sq ft,” Murshid said, adding that there would be no immediate impact on prices. “Maybe, after 1.5 or two years, the impact will be seen. As of now, only rental prices may go up by five or six percent,” he said.

Trends & Updates

A Comparative Analysis by Commonfloor for Noida & Greater Noida Real Estate Market has shown a steady but positive sentiment towards the Property Transactions post the announcement of the Aqua Line.

Listing Trends:

Property Listings in Noida & Greater Noida has shown a steady decline till Sep’18, then shown a steady growth on month on month basis. Expansion of Noida Metro i.e. Aqua Line may be a main factor behind the same.

New Launch Inventories:

Newly Launched Inventories have shown a tremendous incline from 580 Inventories in Quarter 2 2018 to 1653 Newly Launched Inventories in Quarter 3 2018. Though there are a slight dip in First Quarter 2019 i.e. 818 Newly Launched Inventories in Jan’19, it can be increased at the end of the Quarter as more & more Investors & End users are heading towards Noida & Greater Noida.

Price Trends:

Sector 144 has shown a maximum appreciation of 0.13% in Basic Price from Quarter 2 to Quarter 4 in 2018, followed by Pari Chowk & Alpha – 1 with an appreciation of 0.08% each.

Similarly, Sector 50, Sector 51 & Sector 143 have shown a decline in Basic Price of 0.08% from Quarter 2 to Quarter 4 in 2018.

Since, Noida, Noida Extension and Greater Noida will get better approachability to the national capital of Delhi, property in these markets would become even more remunerative as an investment option.

The sigh of relief to the national capital Delhi as more and more people would move to Noida and Greater Noida with increased mobility and the affordable market, Delhi where the housing options are very limited and expensive while migrant population numbers rise year after year.

Traffic on Delhi roads would decrease, too, as more and more people would take a metro ride to work. It is worth mentioning that authorities have been struggling to decongest Delhi roads, but the desired results have yet to be achieved, With a Metro network in place, traffic on roads would subside, the commute will be easier, pollution levels will come down.

The NMRC project has also generated significant direct and indirect employment of skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled workforce.