Noida (UP), May 18 (PTI) The Noida Metro Rail Corporation on Monday said metro services on its Aqua Line will remain suspended till May 31, a day after the Centre extended the lockdown for the third time.

The NMRC said it will continue its preparations to reopen the service on the Noida-Greater Noida route, also known as the Aqua Line, and wait for the government's nod.

The feeder bus service of the NMRC will also remain suspended during the period, the organisation said.

The central government had on Sunday announced extending the lockdown, which was earlier scheduled to end on May 17, further till May 31.

A countrywide lockdown was imposed on March 25 to combat the coronavirus outbreak by breaking the transmission chain of the deadly virus.

"Services of all trains of the Aqua Line and feeder buses under the Noida Metro Rail Corporation (NMRC) will continue to remain suspended till May 31," NMRC Managing Director Ritu Maheshwari said.

"However, the NMRC will continue with its preparations with regard to screening of passengers and adherence to government guidelines by the commuters and NMRC staff once the Metro operations begin again," Maheshwari said in a statement.

She said test runs of the trains, and upkeep of stations and other systems associated with the smooth functioning of the metro will continue to be performed on a regular basis by a dedicated team of NMRC officers and the staff.

The Aqua Line connects the twin cities in Gautam Buddh Nagar adjoining Delhi in western Uttar Pradesh, covering a distance of nearly 30 km over 21 stations.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)