Commuters travelling between Gurugram and Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport are set for a major improvement in metro connectivity. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has drawn up a plan to extend the Airport Metro Line from Yashobhumi Metro Station to Rajiv Chowk on the Delhi-Jaipur Highway in Gurugram, and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has granted in-principle approval to the proposal.
A New Direct Metro Route from Rajiv Chowk to IGI Airport
The proposed corridor will begin at Yashobhumi Metro Station on the Dwarka Expressway and terminate at Rajiv Chowk in Gurugram. Once operational, passengers from Gurugram will be able to travel directly to Indira Gandhi Airport by metro without any complicated interchange or dependence on road transport. DMRC has already prepared and submitted the Detailed Project Report (DPR) to the Ministry, which has responded with its in-principle clearance.
A second corridor is also on the drawing board: a new metro link between Dwarka Sector-21 in Delhi and Sector-21 in Gurugram. The DPR for this project has similarly been forwarded to the Ministry for approval.
HRRTC Board Reviews Finances and New Projects
A recent board meeting of the Haryana Rapid Transit Corporation (HRRTC) reviewed these new corridors alongside the performance of existing metro and Namo Bharat train services. The financial health of the Rapid Metro was a key item on the agenda, and the numbers indicate a strong turnaround.
Between January and May, Rapid Metro recorded earnings of Rs 9.18 crore, a sharp jump from just Rs 1.98 crore during the same period the previous year. Annual revenue has climbed to Rs 35 crore. On the expenditure side, costs held nearly flat: Rs 25.82 crore this year against Rs 25.74 crore last year, pointing to stable operational management.
Ridership has also moved upward. Around 80.76 lakh passengers used the Rapid Metro in the January-to-May window this year, compared with 73.81 lakh over the same five months in the previous year.
Pachgaon Metro Corridor: 35.25 km, 28 Stations Proposed
The Pachgaon Metro Project also featured prominently in the discussions. Its DPR is expected to be placed before the Chief Minister shortly. As currently envisaged, the project entails a 35.25-kilometre elevated metro corridor running from Sector-56 in Gurugram to Pachgaon, with 28 stations planned along the alignment. The Ballabhgarh-Palwal and Bahadurgarh-Asoda metro corridors were also reviewed at the meeting.
Palwal Extension and Narela-Kundli Corridor Advance
The Palwal Metro Extension in Haryana, spanning 30.30 kilometres with 18 proposed stations, was also on the review agenda. For the Narela-Kundli Extension, the Haryana government has already given its in-principle approval to provide 10 hectares of land for the project.
Delhi-Panipat-Karnal RRTS Gets DPR Nod at Rs 33,000 Crore
The DPR for the Delhi-Panipat-Karnal RRTS Corridor has received approval, with the estimated project cost pegged at Rs 33,000 crore. The Gurugram-Faridabad-Noida-Greater Noida RRTS Corridor was also discussed in detail. Taken together, these projects are expected to deliver a comprehensive transformation of mobility across the Delhi-NCR region.
