Travel time between Delhi and the upcoming Noida International Airport could come down to just 21 minutes under a proposed high-speed rail connectivity
project, Uttar Pradesh Industrial Development Minister Nand Gopal Gupta said on Thursday. The announcement was made during a review meeting of projects under the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) at PICUP Bhawan. Officials informed the minister that the detailed project report (DPR) for the proposed Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) connecting Delhi with Jewar airport has already been approved by the state government and sent to the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs for further consideration. According to officials, the DPR also includes plans to integrate the proposed Delhi-Varanasi high-speed rail corridor with the airport terminal through a dedicated station. Once completed, the project could allow passengers to travel between Delhi and the airport in around 21 minutes. The minister said the Yamuna Expressway region is expected to emerge as a major cargo and industrial hub after the inauguration of the Jewar airport. He also directed officials to improve work culture, adopt a more corporate-style approach and ensure proper maintenance and repair of damaged roads along the expressway. According to the statement, the Yamuna Expressway is being linked with several major expressways across the country, including the Agra-Lucknow, Bundelkhand, Purvanchal, Delhi-Mumbai and Ganga expressways. Officials said this would make the region strategically important for transport and logistics. Gupta also instructed officials to speed up online compensation payments for land acquisition and simplify procedures for obtaining no-objection certificates related to plots and maps. He asked authorities to make plot-related information available online in real time and provide artificial intelligence training to officials to prepare for future requirements. During the meeting, officials also informed the minister that a master plan for Hathras is being prepared and a new urban city will be developed there. They further said the Yamuna Expressway would be extended towards Agra after Hathras, while plans are underway to develop another urban city spread over 4,700 acres in the Tappal-Bajna area. Officials added that the YEIDA region is witnessing rapid industrial growth with several major projects already planned or under development, including the HCL-Foxconn semiconductor chip manufacturing unit, electronic manufacturing clusters, apparel park, medical device park, toy park, MSME park, handicraft park and data park.
