Noida: Noida International Airport is eight months away from starting. For years, several options have been in the works for the connectivity of the airport being built at a cost of about six thousand crores, but apart from connectivity with the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, no other project has come to fruition yet. Even the construction of the interchange to be built to connect the Eastern Peripheral Expressway and Yamuna Expressway is stuck in limbo.
Despite the consent from the National Highways Authority of India, the work of interchange construction is on hold awaiting the approval of the state cabinet. With the opening of the airport, Gautam Buddha Nagar will be included in the districts providing air passenger service, but the increased pressure on the roads due to traffic may lead to serious traffic jams.
One crore twenty lakh passengers will travel annually
Initially, one crore twenty lakh passengers will travel by air from the airport annually. The biggest challenge is the smooth movement of passengers to the airport. For this, various options have been discussed for years. Detailed project reports were prepared for everything from railways to metro, Namo Bharat Rail, pod taxi, road etc. Crores of rupees were spent on these, but till now these projects have not been able to see the way out of the files.
Planning of Metro, Pod Taxi Project Cancelled
For connectivity of IGI Airport to Noida Airport, Metro project from Jewar to New Delhi and Pod Taxi project from Noida Airport to Film City, Yamuna Authority prepared DPR, crores of rupees were spent, but the DPRs reached the dustbin. The state government has approved the DPR of 72 km long Namo Bharat from Ghaziabad to Noida Airport, but the budget is still awaited for construction. Even after the airport starts, one will have to wait for six years for connectivity of Namo Bharat Rail.
Delhi-Mumbai Expressway passing over Yamuna Expressway
In the initial phase of planning of the Rundhi to Chola railway route, the project of connecting Delhi Mumbai and Delhi Howrah route with Noida Airport by laying a railway track from Rundhi to Chola in Haryana is still in the initial phase of planning. This route, which is about 60 km long, is yet to pass the stages of approval and budget from various departments and the Central Government.
Traffic will increase on the roads, challenge to deal with traffic jams
With the opening of the airport, one crore twenty lakh passengers from the border districts of West Uttar Pradesh, Haryana including Delhi NCR will turn to Noida Airport for air service every year. The traffic pressure in Noida, Greater Noida Expressway, Eastern Peripheral Expressway National Highway etc. will increase manifold, dealing with traffic jams on the roads will be the biggest challenge. In 2019, the plan to connect Eastern Peripheral Expressway and Yamuna Expressway by making an interchange is still stuck even after six years. People have to travel a long distance.
