NOIDA: The trains are here, the stations are ready, the staff is in place and the final safety certification has been given. Why, then, is the Aqua Line not being launched?The only answer officials can come up with is that the government must be waiting for a “high-profile” launch, possibly by the PM and CM, who had jointly inaugurated the last metro corridor to be opened in Noida: the Magenta Line at Botanical Garden (on Christmas day, 2017).Christmas 2018 was billed as a bigger occasion because the Aqua Line is entirely Noida’s (and the UP government’s) own, run by Noida Metro Rail Corporation (NMRC), unlike Magenta that is operated by DMRC.The Aqua Line received the final clearance from the commissioner of railway safety (CMRS) in time for the supposed Christmas launch that, senior officials had said, would happen at the hands of the PM. It didn't. And the wait to see the first passenger train run between Noida and Greater Noida continues. The corridor missed two deadlines last year — April and October. That was because work itself had overshot the deadline. Now, there is no operational reason for the delay.There is, however, also a concern. Should the launch not happen by January 31, another CMRS inspection will be needed. “The CMRS go-ahead has been received and Aqua Line needs to start any time by January 31. After that, another CMRS inspection would be required – which is not feasible and desirable,” an official told TOI.Officials say the launch date will come from the top echelons of the state government, which has to coordinate with the PMO if Narendra Modi is to launch it. So far, no official programme has been given.There is another theory doing the rounds on possible reasons for the delay, which concern misgivings about ridership, especially at stations in Greater Noida.“That remains a concern. Not too many people are expected to travel from Pari Chowk to Sector 51 as the footfall is on the Pari Chowk-Botanical Garden route. Moreover, more buses are required for ensuring connectivity to the metro stations,” said an official.There is also talk about the possibility of launching the Aqua Line and Blue Line extension (Noida City Centre to Electronic City), so that commuters can switch between Aqua’s Sector 71 and Blue’s Sector 51, together, though officials denied it. This, though, will involve a walk and another check-in because there is no interchange there. “That is another concern. We do have connectivity between the two stations so far,” a Noida Authority official told TOI on the condition of anonymity.According to DMRC sources, the launch of the Blue Line extension is at least three months away. “Noida metro cannot wait till then,” said an official.NMRC executive director PD Upadhyay told TOI as many 300 security personnel have been hired, who are currently undergoing training. “From our side, we have given an invite to the state government, which can decide on the issue (date of launch) any time. The state government has to take a call,” he said.

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