YEIDA plans express line to link Jewar, IGI

GREATER NOIDA: The Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) has suggested a dedicated Jewar airport express line — with fewer stations for faster connectivity — on the lines of Delhi’s Airport Express.

In a review meeting held with DMRC officials on Friday, YEIDA said that the proposed line will be separate from, and run parallel to, the 35.64-km commercial line from Greater Noida to Jewar that is already being planned. The airport line will cater to residential and commercial sectors along the Yamuna Expressway, it said.
Officials in DMRC have sought between 7 and 15 days to revert to the suggestions.

The plan, Authority officials said, is to provide connectivity to Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport via Rapid Rail from Meerut, which enters Delhi’s Ashok Nagar via Sector 2 in Noida. The proposed route for this Jewar express line till IGI is via Knowledge Park 2 near Pari Chowk in Greater Noida to Sector 2 in Noida, followed by Rapid Rail to Sarai Kale Khan and Dhaula Kuan.
On Wednesday, Delhi Metro had given a presentation to YEIDA on the first phase of the commercial corridor, which will have 24 stations along the elevated part and one underground. It is expected to be completed by March 2025 at a cost of Rs 7,000 crore.

Explaining the need for a separate airport line, YEIDA CEO Arun Vir Singh told TOI, “Metro connectivity comes at 40 kmph speed limit, whereas we already have the Greater Noida-Yamuna Expressway which caters to 80-100 kmph speed limit. In such a scenario, such a slow metro connectivity will not be viable for airport purposes.”

Singh added fewer stations would be better. While the commercial line’s 25 stations will only add to the time span and slow down the speed limit desired for an airport express line, a dedicated parallel line can have fewer stations – four or five, so that it serves the purpose of fast airport connectivity,” he said.

According to estimates by YEIDA’s consultant Ernst and Young, about 5-7 crore passengers could use this route by 2050. YEIDA has demanded that DMRC’s traffic projections should be in sync with its own. “Our consultants have projected 5-7 crore passengers by 2050 from areas such as neighbouring Haryana, Delhi, Ghaziabad and Noida-Greater Noida. This needs to be taken into account as against DMRC’s isolated traffic projection from Greater Noida to Jewar,” said Singh.

Source : The Times of India