The decision was taken at a board meeting of Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) on Thursday. The NCR Transport Corporation made a presentation on the 72km rapid rail route it is planning between the airport and Ghaziabad. The proposal was sent to the Centre for approval, said officials to TOI.
According to an earlier proposal, the 14km route was supposed to be connected by pod taxis. Conceived in 2021, the first tender for 12 stations off the expressway was issued in July last year, with an estimated project cost of Rs 641.5 crore. However, no company came forward despite multiple extensions to submit the bids as there are questions on the project’s feasibility.
YEIDA was asked to conduct a comparative study between pod taxis and light rail.
When the Uttar Pradesh government approved the 72km RRTS corridor between Ghaziabad and the airport, NCRTC submitted a project report to include either pod taxi or light rail in it. “The plan now is for three services on the same tracks — metro, RRTS and light rail — with only loops and sections differentiating them. Metro trains will run at an interval of 3.5 minutes, rapid rail after every 7 minutes and light rail in a gap of 8 minutes. The UP govt has already approved this plan. It has now been sent to the Union ministry of housing and urban affairs for clearance,” Arun Vir Singh told TOI.
There have been no changes in the original 72 km track plan either. “The RRTS corridor was originally planned in two phases —Ghaziabad to Ecotech VI and Ecotech VI to Jewar. Now, it will be constructed as a single, unified project,” Singh said.Each of the three lines will sevre a different purpose. For instance, planning to go to the airport would preferably take the rapid rail because of its speed. Metro, on the other hand, will also ply on the same tracks but will stop at every station, requiring much longer to cover the distance.
Light rail will primarily cater to sectors along the Yamuna Expressway between Film City and airport.
The RRTS project is to be completed by 2031. While the Centre and state governments together will contribute 40 per cent of the funds, the rest will be raised by development authorities in Greater Noida, Yamuna Expressway and Ghaziabad.
NCRTC needs to secure 60 per cent funds initially. If it succeeds, no additional contribution will be required from local authorities.
The board meeting also decided upon a a 10km corridor that will connect the Aqua Line station at Sector 51 with the RRTS corridor at Knowledge Park V.
Housing and Urban Development Corporation (Hudco), meanwhile, has assured YEIDA of a loan worth more than Rs 30,000 crore for connectivity projects, in addition to Rs 3,300 crore for land acquisition.