NMRC Invites Co-Branding Bids for 12 Aqua Line Stations: Full List and Deadline

The Noida Metro Rail Corporation has invited businesses to bid for co-branding rights at 12 stations on the operational Aqua Line between Noida and Greater Noida.

The selected companies will be allowed to add an approved brand name before or after the existing station name. They will also receive specified advertising rights at the allotted station.

This does not mean that any of the 12 stations has already been renamed. NMRC has only started the tender process, and station-level branding will follow after bids are evaluated, successful bidders are selected and licence agreements are completed.

The official tender, numbered NMRC/Co-Branding/2026/475, was uploaded on 23 July 2026. The deadline for submitting online bids is 25 August 2026 at 3 pm. 

Key details at a glance

Which Aqua Line stations are included?

The co-branding tender covers the following stations:

1. Sector 76
2. Sector 101
3. Sector 81
4. Sector 83
5. Sector 137
6. Sector 144
7. Sector 145
8. Sector 147
9. Sector 148
10. Pari Chowk
11. Alpha 1
12. Depot Station

NMRC has allowed bidders to apply for one station or multiple stations, subject to meeting the financial and eligibility requirements for each selected location. 

Station-wise financial requirements

Businesses must submit a separate earnest money deposit for every station they bid for. They must also meet the prescribed average annual turnover requirement for the previous three financial years.

When a company applies for more than one station, the applicable turnover requirements for those stations will be added together.

Bidders must also have recorded a positive profit before tax in at least two of the three relevant financial years. Eligible entities include registered proprietorships, partnership firms, limited liability partnerships, companies and qualifying consortiums registered in India. 

What does co-branding mean?

Under the tender, a successful bidder may place its approved brand name before or after the existing metro station name.

For example, an existing station name could appear in formats such as:

• Brand Name Sector 137
• Sector 137 Brand Name

The brand name should preferably contain no more than two words. Personal names and names connected to religious entities are not permitted. Every proposed name, design, colour scheme and advertising creative will require NMRC’s prior approval.

The original station identity will therefore remain part of the displayed name. This is co-branding, rather than the removal and complete replacement of the geographical station name. 

Will station announcements also change?

According to the tender conditions, the co-branding arrangement will not result in changes to:

• in-train station names
• train announcements
• station announcements
• official NMRC documents and notifications

Passengers may eventually see an approved brand name added to physical station signage and advertising displays, but the official tender states that train and station announcements will not change because of the co-branding arrangement. 

This distinction is important for commuters who may be concerned that commercial names could make navigation more difficult.

What advertising rights will companies receive?

The selected licensee may receive outdoor advertising space at the allotted station. Pari Chowk and Alpha 1 also include specified indoor advertising inventory under the tender.

NMRC has listed:

• up to 300 square metres of outdoor advertising space at most selected stations
• up to 460 square metres of outdoor space at Pari Chowk and Alpha 1
• up to 200 square metres of indoor advertising space at Pari Chowk and Alpha 1

Subject to NMRC approval, the successful bidder may also propose:

• exterior and interior branding
• approved station colour treatments
• digital displays
• station landscaping
• experiential-marketing installations
• a small non-food business space of up to 10 square metres

Advertising layouts cannot obstruct passenger movement or interfere with metro operations.

The licensee will also have to maintain additional space equivalent to 5% of the advertising inventory for NMRC campaigns, social messages and public-interest communication. 

Restrictions on advertising

The tender prohibits several categories of advertisements, including content related to:

• alcohol and tobacco products
• drugs and prohibited goods
• nudity or sexually suggestive material
• racial, caste or community discrimination
• exploitation of women or children
• cruelty to animals
• defamatory or unlawfully threatening material

Audio advertising will not be permitted. Every advertising creative must receive NMRC approval before being displayed within metro premises. 

How will the successful bidder be selected?

NMRC will first assess whether applicants meet the technical, legal and financial eligibility conditions.

Financial bids will be opened only for technically qualified applicants. For each station, the eligible bidder quoting the highest annual licence fee will ordinarily be selected.

The first-year licence fee accepted by NMRC will increase by 5% annually during the licence period. The tender provides for a 10-year licence, with a two-year lock-in period after the fitment stage. 

Special condition for Pari Chowk and Alpha 1

The tender states that notices of award for the Pari Chowk and Alpha 1 stations can be issued only after NMRC takes over the relevant rights from the existing licensees.

This means these two high-visibility Greater Noida stations are included in the bidding process, but final allotment remains subject to completion of the existing commercial arrangements. 

Why NMRC is offering station co-branding

The Aqua Line currently covers approximately 29.7 kilometres and has 21 stations between Sector 51 in Noida and Depot Station in Greater Noida.

NMRC says the co-branding initiative is intended to expand revenue beyond passenger fares while giving businesses advertising and naming visibility at metro stations.

Such income is generally described as non-fare revenue because it is earned through advertising, commercial spaces and other station assets rather than ticket sales. The present tender is specifically limited to the 12 stations listed in the bid document. 

What happens next?

The pre-bid meeting and station visit are scheduled for 11 August. NMRC plans to issue responses to pre-bid queries by 17 August, after which online bid submission will begin on 18 August.

The technical bids are scheduled to open on 25 August after the submission deadline.

Only after technical evaluation, financial-bid opening, selection of successful bidders and completion of contractual formalities can branding work begin.

Until then, commuters should continue using the existing station names. No new commercial name for any of the 12 stations has been announced.

What residents should know

• Twelve operational Aqua Line stations are available for co-branding.
• No station has been renamed at this stage.
• Existing geographical station names will remain part of the co-branded names.
• Train and station announcements are not proposed to change due to co-branding.
• Branding and advertisements will require NMRC approval.
• The bidding deadline is 25 August 2026.
• The final brands and station-level names will become clear only after the tender process is completed.

Residents tracking the wider development of the network can also read Pulse of Noida’s guide to the approved Aqua Line extension from Botanical Garden to Sector 142 and its broader explainer on Noida Metro’s proposed expansion corridors.

Official NMRC links

• NMRC current tenders page and tender schedule
• NMRC Request for Proposal: Tender No. NMRC/Co-Branding/2026/475

Editorial note

This article is based on the NMRC tender documents available on 25 July 2026. Bid dates and conditions may be revised through an official corrigendum. No station should be treated as renamed until NMRC formally announces the successful bidder and approved co-branded name.