Infrastructure
Delhi-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System. (NCRTC)
The upcoming Noida International Airport (NIA) in Jewar might soon be connected to the national capital with a rapid rail link.
Last week, the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) submitted the detailed project report (DPR) for the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS)-cum-Metro line, aiming to link Noida Airport with other cities in the Delhi-National Capital region (NCR).
Commencing from Ghaziabad, the 72.29km RRTS-cum-metro route to Jewar airport will encompass a total of 22 stations, comprising 11 RRTS stations and 11 on the metro link.
As outlined in the DPR, the route has been split into two sections. Section one will stretch from Ghaziabad RRTS station to Ecotech VI near Kasna in Greater Noida, while section two will extend from Ecotech VI to the ground transport centre (GTC) of Noida airport.
Section one covers a distance of 39.39km and includes 7 RRTS and 11 Metro stations, with the option to add three more stations later. The entire route will be elevated.
Starting from the Ghaziabad RRTS station, section one follows Vishvakarma road (Sidharth Vihar/Pratap Vihar in Ghaziabad), Taj highway, Char Murti Chowk, Greater Noida Link road (Knowledge Park-V), and then turns onto Surajpur-Kasna road, ending at Ecotech VI in the Kasna.
The second section, spanning 32.9 km initially, will feature four RRTS stations. Additionally, there's provision to include ten more stations — one RRTS and nine metro stations — later on.
The proposed route will pass through villages Dankaur, Dhanauri, Kanarsi, Bhatta, Parsaul, Rabupura, Dayanatpur, and Kishorpur, finally reaching the Ground Transport Center near Terminal 1 of Noida International Airport.
According to the DPR, travel time from Ghaziabad to the airport will be 37 minutes for fast service and 50 minutes for normal service. While rapid rail trains will stop only at RRTS stations, metro trains will stop at all stations.
The Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (Yeida), the project authority, will now send the DPR to the Uttar Pradesh government for approval.
Once approved, work on the corridor is scheduled to commence. Both sections will be constructed simultaneously, with the Rs 20,043.6-crore corridor expected to be completed within five years.