UP plans 21-minute Delhi to Jewar airport connectivity via rapid rail

Travel time between Delhi and the upcoming Noida International Airport in Jewar could come down to around 21 minutes under a proposed high-speed rail connectivity plan, Uttar Pradesh Industrial Development Minister Nand Gopal Gupta said on Thursday.

Reviewing projects of the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) at PICUP Bhawan, Gupta said the detailed project report (DPR) for the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) linking Delhi with Jewar airport has been approved by the state government and sent to the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

According to a statement, officials informed the meeting that the DPR also includes provisions to connect the proposed Delhi-Varanasi high-speed rail corridor directly with the airport terminal through a dedicated station. The proposed integration is expected to enable connectivity between Delhi and the airport in nearly 21 minutes in the future.

Gupta said the Yamuna Expressway region is expected to emerge as a major cargo hub after the inauguration of the Jewar airport.

During the review meeting, the minister directed officials to improve work culture, adopt a corporate-style functioning model and ensure proper maintenance and repair of damaged stretches along the expressway.

The statement said the Yamuna Expressway is being connected with several major expressways, including the Agra-Lucknow Expressway, Bundelkhand Expressway, Purvanchal Expressway, Delhi-Mumbai Expressway and Ganga Expressway, strengthening the region’s strategic connectivity network.

Gupta also instructed officials to ensure speedy online payment of land acquisition compensation to farmers and create a system under which people do not have to move from one office to another for no-objection certificates related to maps and plots.

He further directed authorities to make plot-related information available live online and provide artificial intelligence training to authority personnel in line with future requirements.

Officials informed the meeting that a master plan for Hathras is being prepared and an urban city will be developed there. They added that the Yamuna Expressway would be extended up to Agra after Hathras, while plans are also underway to develop an urban city across 4,700 acres in the Tappal-Bajna area.

Officials said the YEIDA region is witnessing rapid industrial expansion with projects including the HCL-Foxconn semiconductor chip manufacturing unit, electronic manufacturing clusters, apparel park, medical device park, toy park, MSME park, handicraft park and data park.