The national capital region of India, comprising Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurgaon and Faridabad is set to witness its second commercial airport in Jewar, Uttar Pradesh. The upcoming Noida International Airport will join the Delhi’s Indira Gandhi Airport to cater the growing number of air passengers. In fact, the Delhi Airport is the busiest and biggest airport across India.
Also read: Ghaziabad-Jewar Airport Rapid Rail To Pass Via Greater Noida West
While the Noida Airport nears completion and will be ready for operation under Phase I by the end of 2024, there’s still scepticism on the connectivity to the airport. The airport is located in Jewar, near Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh, which is nearly 90 km apart.
It’s situated near the Yamuna Expressway, which solves the road transport problem. However, there’s a demand to connect the new airport with the rest of NCR via rail network, including Metro trains. Moreso, with IndiGo and Akasa Air annoucing Jewar Airport as their base, the demand to connect the airport with Delhi’s IGI has intensified.
The Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government has now approved a Rs 16,000 crore rapid rail line that will connect Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport to the Noida International Airport. The study to connect the two airports by RRTS trains is being worked on by the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC).
As per various media reports, Nodal Officer Shailendra Bhatia of Noida International Airport Limited said that the project should be finished in four years from the time it is started. The Rapid Rail will create a dedicated corridor like various global cities having two airports.
Also read: Noida Metro Extension To Greno West: 2 More Stations In Revised Aqua Line DPR
About Rapid Rail Project
India’s first Rapid Rail project was recently inaugurated by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The line connects Delhi with Meerut, situated over 80 km away and is a city in Uttar Pradesh. The priority section of the urban rail network between Sahibabad and Duhai was inaugurated by PM Modi, while the full line will be operational by 2025.
The RRTS project will run Namo Bharat trains, which happen to be the fastest metro trains in India with an operational speed of 180 kmph. The project is under National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC), and more lines are already announced, connecting Delhi to Alwar, Delhi to Panipat among others.
Delhi-Noida Airports RRTS Corridor
The proposed railway link will join the Delhi-Meerut RRTS line having an interchange in Ghaziabad. As per reports, the RRTS will originate from Noida Airport and reach Ghaziabad Namo Bharat Station. From Ghaziabad, one can reach the Sarai Kale Khan station in Delhi, which is the starting/ end point on the Delhi-Meerut line.
The Sarai Kale Khan station will also serve as the starting point of the under constrution Delhi-Alwar RRTS corridor, that will pass through the Aerocity and Indira Gandhi International Airport. This means passengers travelling from Noida and Delhi Airports can will have an ease access via RRTS trains.
The length of the Delhi-Noida RRTS Corridor is expected to be around 100 km, of which 72.2 km will be the length of Noida Airport – Ghaziabad RRTS rail corridor, with twelve stations in total. The project will cost Rs 16,189 crore (Rs 9,789 crore for Phase I and Rs 6,391 crore for Phase II).
With a speed of 160-180 kmph and average speed of over 100 kmph, one can reach Noida Airport to Ghaziabad in less than an hour and from there, Delhi Airport in another 30 minutes. The deadline for project completion is 2041, with Phase I expected to be completed in 2031.
Delhi-Noida Airports RRTS Corridor: Stations
Phase I Stations:
Ghaziabad (Interchange with Delhi-Meerut RRTS)
Ghaziabad South
Greater Noida (Sector 4)
Greater Noida (Sector 2)
Knowledge Park V
Ecotech VI
Surajpur
Pari Chowk (Interchange with Aqua Line Metro)
Phase II Stations:
YIEDA Central (Sector 21, 35)
YIEDA North (Sector 18)
Dankaur
Noida International Airport
Noida-Jewar Airport Aqua Line Metro Route
Despite this groundbreaking rapid rail route, the project will take more than 15 years to complete. To offer the passengers travelling from the Noida International Airport alternate options of rail connectivity, the Uttar Pradesh government has approved a new Metro Line.
The Noida Metro Rail Corporation has announced to built a new Metro line connecting the Jewar Airport with rest of Noida. The new line will connect the Botanical Garden with the Sector 142 of Aqua Line, providing a convenient option for commuters from Delhi to Greater Noida.
The new Line will comprise of total eight new metro stations, which stretches to approximately 11.56 kilometers. The new route is said to enhance connectivity between Noida, Greater Noida, and Delhi.
Additionally, the Magenta Line will directly connect to Indira Gandhi International Airport, thus opening connectivity to New Delhi and Anand Vihar Railway Stations via the Blue Line.