The DMRC has suggested that the Gold Line metro should be expanded to connect Noida with Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport to further fortify the public transport system of Noida. This metro project will further revolutionize the metro grid in the city and will save people a lot of time going to other parts of NCR from Noida. The aerocity and the terminals at IGI Airport could be connected to Noida.
Connecting Noida to IGI Airport Better
A proposed extension under the new Gold Line, the proposed new metro line is being set up to improve connectivity infrastructure in Noida and will be of great significance just before Jewar will open its Noida International Airport the following year. The existing Gold Line is currently under construction between Aerocity and Tughlakabad, though the new proposal intends to connect it to Kalindi Kunj for another 5 kilometers, thereby directly relating to the Terminal 3 of IGI Airport.
This will be a game-changer because it will be the second metro route to the airport, besides the connectivity that already exists. Kalindi Kunj and the Botanical Garden station, situated on the other side of the Yamuna River, will become major junctions in the Noida metro network that is ever expanding. The Botanical Garden station already is a large interchange where both Blue and Magenta Lines meet.
A direct link between Noida and IGI Airport
This will facilitate smooth commuting from Noida to IGI Airport and then to IGI itself by proceeding to Botanical Garden and further shifting into the Blue Line that would directly reach one to Terminal 1 of IGI Airport. A much-needed route will come into being besides the amenity of accessibility to both the terminals of the airport by bringing in greater access to Noida and Greater Noida.
The Gold Line extension will fortify the region’s mass transit system, which comes at an estimated cost of Rs 950 crore. Two new metro stations along this extension are proposed. These are Sarita Vihar Depot and Madanpur Khadar, which will ease passengers’ movement towards and from the airport.
Strengthening Regional Connectivity and Expanding the Metro Grid
Other than that, the proposed extension of the Gold Line will connect people with IGI Airport. Connecting people to the Aqua Line and Pari Chowk in Greater Noida, the proposed extension of the Gold Line will be helpful to cover the gap between the places which is hardly 40 kilometers apart like Pari Chowk and Jewar. It would culminate in the completion of this extension, thereby providing a fully integrated metro grid that stretches right up to Pari Chowk and possibly all the way up to the new Noida International Airport at Jewar.
The massive extension also fills in a significant gap in mass transit between the Delhi NCR region’s second international airport at Jewar and Noida. Though the metro line will reach Pari Chowk in three years, the Noida International Airport plans its taxi service rollout for the next year, with adequate connectivity for its passengers.
Future Proposals and Rapid Rail Options
The UP government has actually put on hold an earlier proposal to connect Noida International Airport with IGI through a rapid rail system. The earlier rapid rail project was to be connecting Ghaziabad, Greater Noida, and Noida airport, which in economics is more viable. However, the metro extension, with lesser time to implement, has attracted the attention due to its feasibility and relatively quicker operational setting.
The DMRC proposal has attracted response from the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority and the DMRC officials themselves, as it has already been stated that the CEO of YEIDA, Arun Vir Singh said, “The proposal will be placed before Uttar Pradesh’s Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for final nod, though it is contingent on the amount of fund it may get and up to which date the nod comes for the project”. The gold line metro link would take more than three years to start operations and rapid rail would take more than five years to operationalize.
Conclusion
DMRC proposal for gold line metro line extension would be a big leap for better connectivity in NCR. If approved, it would reduce travel times between Noida and IGI Airport and enhance regional connectivity by linking key metro lines. With the Noida International Airport scheduled to open soon, these developments are crucial for ensuring that transportation is seamless for passengers. As discussion proceeds, the Gold Line extension is going to prove a game-changer in the public transport system for Noida and overall regional mobility.
Refer :
TOI, Link to article
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