80km apart, how to bring IGI and Jewar airport closer

GREATER NOIDA: In four years, flying in and out of Delhi-NCR will mean taking a flight from IGI Airport near Gurugram or the 80-km-apart Jewar airport in Greater Noida by traversing the national capital’s monster traffic.Like New York’s JFK and Newark airports or London’s Heathrow and Gatwick, a significant number of flyers will also need to transit between IGI and Jewar airports. By 2024, the IGI airport will be handling over 10 crore flyers annually and the Jewar airport will begin its flight with a capacity of 1.2 crore passengers per annum. 72301016 With such volumes and distance involved, it is imperative to have seamless travel options between the two international airports of Delhi-NCR. And with decks being cleared to hand over the greenfield project to a global firm, the Yamuna Expressway Authority has now accelerated efforts towards connectivity between IGI and Jewar airports. The Yamuna Expressway Authority CEO has asked the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) to prepare a detailed project report (DPR) on multi-modal connectivity between the two airports, already proposed by state-run engineering consultancy RITES, and also written to the state government seeking funding for the same.“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,” CEO Arunvir Singh said. “We have also written to the state government regarding funding for metro connectivity as it will incur 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.RITES had earlier submitted three proposals to the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) to connect the two airports.The shortest connectivity route (78 km) is a new metro line — from Jewar airport to New Ashok Nagar metro station — on Blue Line via the Yamuna expressway and Noida-Greater Noida expressway. Then, the route will link New Ashok Nagar and Aerocity via Sarai Kale Khan through the proposed Delhi-Meerut RRTS corridor.The final 4km — from Aerocity to the IGI airport — will be linked through automated people movers (APM, a small-scale automated transit system for small distances). RITES has estimated a total cost of Rs 8,680 crore for this option, the most expensive of the three plans.The second connectivity option, at a cost of Rs 3,500 crore, is a 90km route from IGI airport to Aerocity via APM . From there, the route would connect Sarai Kale Khan and Palwal via the Delhi-Alwar RRTS corridor. The last stretch, from Palwal to Jewar, could be connected either through an extension of RRTS network or other last-mile option. The third option is a 100km railway network from the IGI airport to Jewar through Tughlaqabad in south Delhi and Sector 142 in Noida. This would take the longest time but, at Rs 2,540 crore, would also be the cheapest.The CEO had earlier written to RITES to submit a revised report on road connectivity between the two airports. This was because the road travel option, suggested by RITES earlier, was “inadequate and impractical”, officials said.

from Economic Times https://ift.tt/37RMzdN