Delhi-Jewar airport travel time may shrink to 21 minutes under rapid rail plan: UP minister

A proposed high-speed rail connectivity plan aims to reduce travel time between Delhi and the Noida International Airport to 21 minutes.

Travel time between Delhi and the upcoming Noida International Airport could be reduced to 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 here, the minister said the detailed project report (DPR) for the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) connecting Delhi with Jewar airport has been approved by the state government and sent to the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

Officials informed the meeting that provisions have also been made in the DPR to integrate the proposed Delhi-Varanasi high-speed rail corridor with the airport terminal through a dedicated station, enabling Delhi connectivity in around 21 minutes in the future, according to a statement.

The minister said the entire Yamuna Expressway region is set to emerge as a major cargo hub after the inauguration of the Jewar airport.

He asked officials to improve their work culture, adopt a corporate-style approach and ensure better maintenance and repair of damaged roads along the expressway.

According to the statement, the Yamuna Expressway is being linked with several major expressways, including the Agra-Lucknow, Bundelkhand, Purvanchal, Delhi-Mumbai and Ganga expressways, making the region strategically important from a connectivity perspective.

Gupta directed officials to ensure fast online payment of land acquisition compensation to farmers and create a system under which people do not have to run from office to office for no-objection certificates related to maps and plots.

He also instructed authorities to make plot-related information available live online and provide artificial intelligence training to authority personnel keeping in view the future requirements.

During the meeting, officials informed the minister that a master plan for Hathras was being prepared and an urban city would be developed there. They also said the Yamuna Expressway would be extended up to Agra after Hathras and plans are underway to develop an urban city over 4,700 acres in Tappal-Bajna.

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