Metro rail: L&T wins Noida Aqua Line extension to Botanical Garden, Boraki
By Siddharth VermaBusiness Correspondent, Peepals Bharat
Representative image: RAS_RNS / Pixabay
L&T has won a Noida Metro Rail Corporation order, worth Rs 1,000-2,500 crore, to build a 15.1 km, 10-station Aqua Line extension within 36 months.
What Happened
Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has won a "significant" order from the Noida Metro Rail Corporation (NMRC) to build an extension of the Aqua Line metro rail in Noida, the company announced on Monday, 9 November 2026. Its Heavy Civil Infrastructure business will design and build a 15.1 km elevated viaduct from Botanical Garden to Noida Sector-142, plus a stretch from the Depot Station to Boraki, along with 10 elevated stations and their architectural finishes. The work is to be completed within 36 months. L&T did not disclose the exact value, but under its own classification a "significant" order is worth between Rs 1,000 crore and Rs 2,500 crore.
Key Facts
- Client: Noida Metro Rail Corporation (NMRC).
- Contractor: Larsen & Toubro's Heavy Civil Infrastructure vertical, on a part design-and-build basis.
- Route: a 15.1 km elevated viaduct from Botanical Garden to Noida Sector-142, and a stretch from the Depot Station to Boraki.
- Stations: 10 elevated stations, including architectural finishing work.
- Deadline: completion within 36 months.
- Value: "significant" in L&T's terms, meaning Rs 1,000 crore to Rs 2,500 crore; some reports headlined the top of the range.
- Not included: a separate planned Aqua Line corridor from Sector 51 to Knowledge Park V, according to one report.
Why It Matters
The Aqua Line is the metro line run by NMRC, the Noida authority's own metro company. An extension that starts at Botanical Garden, also a station on the Delhi Metro network, gives commuters a direct way to change between the two systems. It then runs on to Noida Sector-142, taking the metro to more of the residential and office areas that have grown up along the route.
The second stretch, from the Depot Station to Boraki, takes the line further towards Greater Noida, so people from the wider region can reach jobs and services in Noida without long road journeys.
For L&T, the order adds to a strong year of new business. The group reported order inflow of Rs 1.08 lakh crore in the first quarter of 2026-27, up 14% year on year. Metro construction is one of the areas its Heavy Civil Infrastructure business covers, and orders from city transport agencies add to its pipeline of work.
For people living in Noida, the 36-month timeline means the new stretch would be ready around late 2029 if work keeps to schedule. Until then, residents along the route can expect construction work, barricades and traffic diversions.
Peepals calculation: the 15.1 km viaduct with 10 stations works out to roughly one station every 1.5 km (15.1 / 10 ≈ 1.51). At the bottom of the "significant" range, Rs 1,000 crore, the order would be about 0.9% of L&T's Rs 1.08 lakh crore first-quarter order inflow (1,000 / 1,08,000 ≈ 0.009); at the top, Rs 2,500 crore, about 2.3% (2,500 / 1,08,000 ≈ 0.023). A 36-month build that starts in November 2026 would end in November 2029. Our calculation from the reported figures.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Viaduct | 15.1 km, Botanical Garden to Sector-142, plus Depot Station to Boraki |
| Stations | 10 elevated |
| Deadline | 36 months |
| Value range | Rs 1,000 crore to Rs 2,500 crore ("significant") |
| Client | Noida Metro Rail Corporation |
Impact
Short-term: L&T can begin mobilising for design and construction, and Noida residents along the route can expect construction work to start in the coming months.
Long-term: Once complete, the extension should link the Aqua Line with Delhi Metro at Botanical Garden and reach Boraki, making cross-city travel easier for daily commuters.
Who is affected: Commuters in Noida, Greater Noida and Delhi; residents and businesses along the Noida Expressway; NMRC; and L&T and its suppliers.
What to watch next: The start of construction and NMRC's plans for the separate Sector 51 to Knowledge Park V corridor, which is not part of this order.
Key Takeaway
L&T will build a 15.1 km, 10-station elevated extension of Noida Metro's Aqua Line from Botanical Garden to Sector-142 and on to Boraki within 36 months, under an order worth Rs 1,000 crore to Rs 2,500 crore.
Questions and Answers
What metro rail order has L&T won in Noida?
L&T won an order from Noida Metro Rail Corporation on 9 November 2026 to build the Aqua Line extension: a 15.1 km elevated viaduct from Botanical Garden to Sector-142, a stretch from the Depot Station to Boraki, and 10 elevated stations.
How much is the Noida Metro Aqua Line order worth?
L&T did not give an exact figure. It called the order "significant", which in its classification means Rs 1,000 crore to Rs 2,500 crore.
When will the Aqua Line extension be completed?
The contract sets a 36-month timeline for completion.
Will the extension connect with Delhi Metro?
The new viaduct starts at Botanical Garden, which is also a Delhi Metro station, so passengers will be able to change between the two networks there once it opens.
Disclaimer: Prepared by the Peepals newsroom from publicly available sources with AI assistance. Information is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication and may change. Images may be representative. Not professional advice. Report an error via our contact page.
By Siddharth Verma, Business CorrespondentCovers Business and more for Peepals Bharat. All stories by Siddharth Verma
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Siddharth Verma is a pen name of the Peepals Global Editorial Team, which researches, fact-checks and publishes every story. The portrait is an illustration.
