PM Gatishakti: 3 upcoming airports on fast track to get rail connectivity

The aviation and railway ministries are collaborating to expedite rail connectivity to three key airports currently under construction — Noida (Uttar Pradesh), Navi Mumbai (Maharashtra), and Dholera (Gujarat) — under the PM GatiShakti scheme.

The plan involves fast-tracking the completion of the Delhi-Jewar segment of the Delhi-Varanasi high-speed rail (HSR) project to connect Noida airport, building a railway station and tracks beneath Navi Mumbai airport by December 2024, and creating a station and railway line close to Dholera airport, official communication reviewed by Business Standard shows.

Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw have been coordinating in recent months on these projects. On May 8, Scindia, in a letter to Vaishnaw, requested rail linkages for the three airports. On July 10, the two ministers agreed that the railway ministry would provide project timelines in accordance with the airports’ masterplans and share them with the aviation ministry. In August, Scindia sent another letter to Vaishnaw, seeking updates on the timelines.

In his May 8 letter, Scindia said Noida and Dholera airports had been identified as “high-impact projects” under the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan, while Navi Mumbai airport was important due to its “location and potential”. 

“Navi Mumbai International Airport, a greenfield airport, is being developed at Navi Mumbai with a capacity of 90 million passengers annually (and it is) scheduled to be completed by December 2024,” he wrote.

 Scindia further stated: “It is imperative that rail connectivity to the (Navi Mumbai) airport also needs to be put in place and a station is provided under the airport before the scheduled date of completion.” 

Three officials of the railway ministry told Business Standard that the Navi Mumbai project, along with Jewar and Dholera, had been sought to be put on priority, and the national transporter had okayed a final location survey.

However, it was not immediately clear what the completion timelines were or whether they had been shared with the aviation ministry.

Navi Mumbai airport is being built by the Adani group, while the Noida airport is being developed by Zurich Airport International. The aviation ministry, the railway ministry, and the Adani group did not respond to the queries sent by Business Standard on this matter. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) indicated that the queries should be directed to the aviation ministry.

“Noida International Airport...is now only a year away from starting the trials and being ready for commercial operations, due by the end of 2024. I understand that Jewar is being connected by the high-speed rail between Delhi and Varanasi. This is being constructed by National High Speed Rail Corporation Ltd. (NHSRCL) and work on this HSR line is proposed to be initiated in 2023-24,” Scindia noted in his letter.

The corridor alignment and the HSR station — which will be built inside the airport complex — will be finalised by NHSRCL. 

“It is requested that the Delhi-Jewar portion on the HSR line between Delhi-Varanasi be prioritised and completed as early as possible in tandem with the construction and development of airport and allied infrastructure for optimisation,” the minister noted.

Once its phase 1 construction is completed in December next year, the Noida airport will have an annual passenger handling capacity of 12 million, which will eventually increase to 70 million passengers annually upon the completion of all four phases.

Christoph Schnellmann, chief executive officer of Yamuna International Airport Private Limited, a subsidiary of Zurich Airport International, told Business Standard that he was currently “not aware” of any plans to expedite the construction of the Delhi-Jewar segment of the HSR line. However, he expressed his enthusiasm for the prospect of enhanced connectivity, stating that it would be a game-changer for numerous residents in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi.

The Delhi-Varanasi HSR project, however, is currently in early planning stages, with officials in the corporation and the ministry not providing immediate clarity on the approval and execution timelines. According to the National Rail Plan, the corridor is proposed to be completed by 2031 and will reportedly cost Rs 1.7 trillion.

The railways might also explore other modes of rapid rail connectivity between Delhi and Jewar, one of the officials cited above said.

The AAI is currently in the process of constructing Dholera airport within the Ahmedabad-Dholera industrial zone. The airport project includes the development of a railway line along the expressway. According to Scindia, the airport’s construction is on track for completion by December 2025.

According to railway officials, work on building track infrastructure near Dholera airport will begin soon and is likely to be completed within the proposed deadline.

“You would agree that once the airports are operational and open to the passengers and other commercial purposes, implementation of the unfinished rail connectivity will be disruptive in nature. It is, therefore, important that construction of the railway as well as allied infrastructure such as vehicle parking and utility structures are coordinated with the airport concessionaire and effected in accordance with the approved airport masterplan,” Scindia stated in his letter.

Officials in the know said that while the railways would expedite the projects as they were part of PM GatiShakti, an execution deadline of 2024 for two of the three projects may be too steep, as planning will be followed by tendering and construction, which may extend beyond 2024.