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Oct25

Delhi's airport metro to open mid November

| 25/10/10 | Categories: Airport Expresses, Baggage Handling, In-town check-in, Railways | by: A Sharp

Delhi's Indira Ghandi International Airport is to get what is described as 'rail connectivity' by mid-November, the Indian government has announced.

The new Airport Metro was supposed to have opened in time for the Commonwealth Games. This did not prove possible, and a date of mid-October has also been missed.

The line is to run from New Delhi's main station to the airport and then on to Dwarka where there will be an end-on connection with Line 3 of the Metro. Inter-working will not be possible because the airport line has been built with standard gauge track and Line 3, in common with the rest of the metro, is built on the Indian 1676mm gauge.

Two downtown stations are to have full hold baggage check-in - particularly valuable since baggage is routinely screened (and passengers have to go through an x-ray detector arch) when entering the Metro. A third station is to have check-in facilities, but not for hold baggage.

How much of the line will actually be in service on 14 November is debateable: the phrase 'rail connectivity' is a slightly odd one.

India's main domestic airlines wanted a firm date when they could transfer to the new Terminal 3, and airport ground access was key to this.

The announcement can be found on
the Indian Government Press Information Bureau's web-site.