Noida Metro’s long-awaited Aqua Line expansion has taken a significant step forward. Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has secured a construction contract from Noida Metro Rail Corporation (NMRC) for two elevated metro extensions covering approximately 15.1 km and 10 stations across Noida and Greater Noida.
The company confirmed the order on Monday, November 9, 2026. Its Heavy Civil Infrastructure division will undertake part design and construction of the elevated corridors, including the stations and their architectural finishes.
The contract covers two routes: Botanical Garden to Noida Sector 142 and Depot Station to Boraki in Greater Noida. L&T has indicated a construction timeline of 36 months.
For residents and daily commuters, the most important development is the proposed connection between the Aqua Line and Delhi Metro’s Blue and Magenta lines at Botanical Garden.
Which Aqua Line extensions will L&T build?
The construction package covers two separate stretches of the Noida Metro network.
1. Botanical Garden to Sector 142
This corridor will connect the existing Aqua Line at Sector 142 with Botanical Garden, one of Noida’s important Delhi Metro interchange stations.
The Union Cabinet approved the 11.56-km Botanical Garden to Sector 142 corridor in February 2026, with eight elevated stations.
The eight proposed stations listed in NMRC’s Detailed Project Report are:
- Botanical Garden
- Noida Sector 44
- Noida Office
- Noida Sector 97
- Noida Sector 105
- Noida Sector 108
- Noida Sector 93
- Panchsheel Balak Inter College
Sector 142 is already operational on the Aqua Line and is the planned connection point for the new corridor.
The extension is expected to benefit residents, office-goers and students travelling between the Noida Expressway sectors and Delhi.
2. Depot Station to Boraki, Greater Noida
The second extension will connect the existing Depot Station with the proposed Boraki Multi-Modal Transport Hub (MMTH).
NMRC’s tender documents describe this as an approximately 2.6-km elevated stretch, with two planned stations at Junpat and Boraki.
The proposed Boraki hub is intended to integrate metro services with railway and bus transport facilities.
Once developed and operational, this connection could make journeys more convenient for Greater Noida residents using different modes of public transport.
Why the Botanical Garden connection matters
Currently, Aqua Line commuters travelling towards Delhi often need to change to another mode of transport to access the Delhi Metro network.
The proposed Botanical Garden extension is intended to address this gap.
Botanical Garden already serves Delhi Metro’s Blue and Magenta lines. Connecting it with the Aqua Line would give passengers another interchange option for journeys between Greater Noida, Noida’s Expressway sectors and Delhi.
The connection could particularly benefit people working in commercial and IT hubs around Sectors 125, 126, 132, 135 and 142, as well as students and residents travelling across the city.
The government has identified improved public transport accessibility and reduced dependence on road travel as important objectives of this extension.
However, actual travel-time savings will become clearer only when the final interchange arrangements, operating timetable and service details are announced.
What is the value of L&T’s contract?
L&T has classified the new order as ‘Significant’, a category it uses for contracts valued between ₹1,000 crore and ₹2,500 crore.
NMRC’s construction tender, identified as NGNECC-01, estimated the work at approximately ₹1,267 crore.
The ₹1,267 crore figure is the authority’s pre-award estimate, not the confirmed amount awarded to L&T.
The exact contract value has not been disclosed in the company’s announcement.
According to the tender documents, the construction package includes elevated viaducts and 10 stations across the two extensions.
When will the new Aqua Line extensions open?
L&T has announced a construction period of 36 months.
However, this does not mean passenger services are confirmed to begin in November 2029.
The construction timeline and the opening of metro services are different milestones. Testing, safety approvals and operational readiness must also be completed before passengers can use the new extensions.
As of November 10, 2026, an official passenger-service opening date for these two extensions has not been confirmed.
The contract announcement also does not establish that physical construction has already started.
What happens next?
The award marks an important progression from planning and tendering to the construction-contract stage.
Residents should now watch for NMRC updates on construction commencement, work locations, road diversions and the final station arrangements.
The two corridors are part of Noida Metro’s wider expansion plans, which also include a proposed extension from Sector 51 towards Knowledge Park V in Greater Noida West. That separate corridor is not included in L&T’s newly announced construction package.
Pulse of Noida has previously explained the wider Aqua Line expansion plans and their implications for commuters.
For now, the confirmed development is that L&T has secured the contract for two elevated extensions. The next milestones will be the start of construction, progress on the stations and confirmation of when passengers can begin using the new routes.
Official sources: L&T announcement, November 9, 2026 | NMRC construction tender | Government approval for Botanical Garden corridor
