Noida's Aqua Line is set to get significantly longer, and Sector 97 on the Noida Expressway is one of the direct beneficiaries. The Union Cabinet has cleared an 11.56-km extension of the Aqua Line from Sector 142 to Botanical Garden, paving the way to plug a critical connectivity gap between Noida and Delhi, long flagged by daily commuters and industry. This corridor had already received central approval earlier in the year, and Noida Metro Rail Corporation (NMRC) is now moving toward the execution stage.
The new stretch will add eight elevated stations along the way: Botanical Garden, Sector 44, Sector 96, Sector 97, Sector 105, Sector 108, Sector 93 and Sector 91. This means Sector 97 will finally have its own Aqua Line stop, cutting out the long feeder-bus or auto rides many residents and office-goers currently rely on to reach the nearest metro connection.
NMRC is preparing to float construction tenders for the corridor, with the project cost estimated at Rs 2,254 crore and completion targeted within three years of work commencing. The strategic value of the line lies in its direct access to Botanical Garden, one of Noida's busiest interchange stations, where commuters can switch to Delhi Metro's Blue and Magenta Lines. Once operational, Botanical Garden will emerge as a key triple-interchange hub, seamlessly linking the Aqua Line with the Delhi Metro's Blue and Magenta lines, effectively closing the connectivity loop between the Expressway sectors and central Delhi.
Real estate voices along the corridor have welcomed the move. B.K. Malagi, Vice Chairman of Experion Developers, noted that "connectivity is a catalyst that reshapes people's everyday life beyond infrastructure," adding that the new extension "completes the larger connectivity loop by linking these micro-markets directly to central Delhi," a shift he said would particularly benefit sectors including 44, 45, 96, 98, 105 and 108. Market watchers believe the move could also improve liquidity in the secondary housing segment, where inventory movement often hinges on connectivity, and expect renewed traction in sectors such as 93, 105, 108 and 142, which house a mix of premium and luxury housing.
For Sector 97 specifically, this is a meaningful upgrade. The sector currently sits along the Noida Expressway corridor, within reach of established residential and IT clusters but without a metro station of its own. A dedicated Aqua Line stop changes that calculus for both end-users and investors evaluating mixed-use developments in the sector, including M3M's residential-commercial project here, which is positioned to gain from improved last-mile access once the station is operational.
Context matters here: the existing Aqua Line, running between Noida Sector 51 and the Depot Station in Greater Noida, is already carrying meaningful ridership, with an average daily footfall of 58,281 passengers as of March 2026. Extending this network toward Botanical Garden and looping in stations like Sector 97 is expected to widen that ridership base considerably, given the direct interchange with Delhi Metro.
For homebuyers tracking Sector 97, the key takeaway is timing. Tenders are yet to be finalised and construction is a multi-year process, so the station won't change daily commutes overnight. But metro announcements at this stage typically move land and project pricing well before the first train runs, making this a development worth watching closely over the next 18-24 months.
