NCRTC to prepare DPR to link IGI and Jewar Airports with multi-modal transport

Noida, India (Urban Transport News): After selecting swiss firm Flughafen Zürich AG to develop the first phase of Jewar Greenfield International Airport in Greater Noida, the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) is now planning to connect Jewar Airport with Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport. The distance between both airports is about 80-km. By 2024, the IGI Airport will be handling over 10 crore flyers annually whereas the Jewar Airport will begin its flight with a capacity of 1.2 crore passengers per annum. To provide seamless connectivity between both airports, it is much necessary to connect two international airports of Delhi-NCR with a high-speed multi-modal transit system. The Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) has asked the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) to prepare a detailed project report (DPR) on multi-modal connectivity between both international airports which is already proposed by RITES Limited. The YEIDA has also written to the state government seeking funding for the same. Arunvir Singh, CEO of Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority said:

The three options suggested by RITES to connect both the international airports include the use of metro, train and rapid rail transit system (RRTS). We have asked the NCRTC to study the RRTS routes and prepare a DPR on its feasibility. They should be able to submit the DPR within three months.

“We have also written to the state government regarding funding for metro connectivity as it will incur a high cost from our side. The elevated road proposal is also being monitored at the state level and we are expecting a response from the government soon,” he added. According to the proposal submitted by RITES, the shortest connectivity route (78 km) to connect both international airports is a new metro line — from Jewar Airport to New Ashok Nagar metro station — on Blue Line of Delhi Metro Rail network via the Yamuna Expressway and Noida-Greater Noida expressway. After that, the route will link New Ashok Nagar and Aerocity via Sarai Kale Khan through the proposed Delhi-Meerut RRTS corridor. To connect the 4-km route between Aerocity and the IGI Airport, RITES has suggested Automated People Movers (APM, a small-scale automated transit system for small distances) with a total cost of Rs 8,680 crore for this option, the most expensive of the three plans. The second connectivity option is a 90-km route from IGI Airport to Aerocity via APM at a cost of Rs 3,500 crore. From there, the route would connect Sarai Kale Khan and Palwal via the Delhi-Alwar RRTS corridor of NCRTC. The last stretch, from Palwal to Jewar, could be connected either through an extension of the RRTS network or other last-mile option. The third option is a 100-km railway network from the IGI Airport to Jewar Airport through Tughlaqabad in South Delhi and Sector-142 in Noida. This would take the longest time but, it would cost Rs 2,540 crore only.