The Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has declined the National Capital Region Transport Corporation’s (NCRTC) proposal for a 72km Ghaziabad-Jewar rapid rail corridor to connect Noida International Airport. Instead, it has mandated a revised alignment starting directly from Sarai Kale Khan which is the terminal of the Delhi-Meerut RRTS corridor.
NCRTC had previously prepared a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for a 22-station elevated rapid rail-cum-metro corridor, split evenly between rapid rail and metro. The alignment stretched from Siddharth Vihar to Ecotech-6 via Char Murti, then extended to the airport through YEIDA sectors 17, 18, and 21. The project was estimated at Rs 20,637 crore and secured in-principle approval from the Uttar Pradesh government before submission to MoHUA last year.
In a review meeting attended by officials from the Uttar Pradesh government, Noida International Airport Ltd (NIAL), Yamuna International Airport Pvt Ltd, Noida Metro Rail Corporation (NMRC), and NCRTC, the ministry flagged the original plan’s shortcomings.
The proposed Ghaziabad-Jewar rapid rail corridor lacked a link with Delhi , duplicated NMRC’s Aqua Line extension, and raised safety concerns over blending rapid rail and metro on a shared elevated viaduct.
During the review meeting, officials also noted that the Ghaziabad route would fall short of NCRTC’s projected ridership, as most airport-bound passengers originate from Delhi and Noida which are key areas unserved by the proposed alignment.
NCRTC will now conduct a fresh survey and prepare a new DPR for the Sarai Kale Khan-Jewar route.
As per the preliminary alignment which is currently under study, the route may pass through DND Flyway, Noida City Centre, Noida Phase-2 (NSEZ), Surajpur, Knowledge Park-3, Pari Chowk, Ecotech-6, Dankaur, and YEIDA sectors 18 and 21. New Ashok Nagar could serve as an alternate start if Sarai Kale Khan faces land or operational hurdles.
Shailendra Bhatia, ACEO, YEIDA said “A decision has been taken to explore the feasibility of developing an RRTS corridor from Sarai Kale Khan to Noida International Airport. NCRTC will prepare the feasibility report, and further action will follow,”.
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