Metro Airport stretch plan gathers speed with 2 contracts finalised

New Delhi, Sep 30 (UNI) Plans to connect the city centre to the Indira Gandhi International Airport has gained momentum with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) awarding two contracts for construction of the high-speed Airport line.

The contracts will cover civil construction of 7.5 km of the total length of approximately 19 km of the Airport line, according to the DMRC.

While one contract has been awarded to a consortium of M/s Alpine-Samsung-HCC for construction of the 3.9 km long underground section from New Delhi to Talkatora Garden, the second contract has gone to M/s Afcons which will construct a 3.6-km underground stretch between Palam Depot to Airport.

The underground section between New Delhi and Talkatora Garden will have two stations at New Delhi and Shivaji Stadiuml and the other section between the Airport and Palam Depot will have one station at NH 8, near the Airport Authority Colony.

There will be three intermediate stations at Shivaji Stadium, Dhaula Kuan and NH-8, with trains running at a maximum speed at 135 kmph and covering the entire distance in about 16 minutes.

Check-in facilities will be available at New Delhi, Shivaji Stadium and Dhaula Kuan stations but baggage booking will be done at New Delhi and Shivaji Stadium only.

Initially, eight trains of six coaches each will be introduced on the line.

About half a section of one coach would be reserved for luggage.

UNI