Subway planned to connect IGI Airport Metro, T2 in Delhi

With the new subway, this distance from T2 to T3 will be cut down from around 500m to a mere 70m, officials aware of the project said.

Updated on: Aug 28, 2023, 02:08:41 IST

By Jasjeev Gandhiok

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The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has planned to construct a subway that will connect the IGI Airport Metro station on the Airport Express line, located at Terminal 3 (T3) of Indira Gandhi International airport, with Terminal 2 (T2).

At present, Metro passengers travelling from T2 have to exit the IGI Airport Metro station and walk around 500m along the road to enter the terminal. With the new subway, this distance will be cut down to a mere 70m, officials aware of the project said.

Officials said the subway will be 10m wide and have a height of 4.2m, and will cost around ₹26.60 crore. They said it will be constructed using a box pushing method and will likely take 21 months from the date the tender is awarded to complete.

“The subway will be constructed using the box pushing method. In this method, vertical excavation or large-scale digging is not required. This method is much faster than the conventional cut-and-cover technology generally used for the construction of subways. The box pushing method will be used keeping in consideration the presence of utilities, buildings etc. in the surrounding areas, limited space availability and traffic management concerns,” a DMRC official said, declining to be named.

According to a tender prepared by DMRC, the Metro corporation will be responsible for the system operations and maintenance of the subway, including electrical and mechanical fittings, telecom, lifts and escalators, CCTV surveillance, security system and PA systems. IGI airport operator Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), meanwhile, will bear the cost of construction of the subway, including utility shifting and restoration work, if any.

The DMRC official said Delhi Metro signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with DIAL in May for the purpose of the construction, operation and maintenance of the subway.

HT reached out to DIAL, but the airport operator did not comment on the planned subway.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jasjeev Gandhiok
Jasjeev Gandhiok is an Assistant Editor with Hindustan Times, where he covers environment, climate change, the clean energy transition and wildlife at the National Bureau. Gandhiok has over a decade of experience in journalism and is based in Delhi. He has reported extensively on Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR). This includes the region's air pollution woes, a polluted Yamuna and on urban wildlife still thriving in the region. He joined HT in October 2021. Prior to that, he had five-year stint at The Times of India in Delhi, where he also covered Delhi, with a focus on environment and wildlife. Gandhiok has covered some recent events around the Capital too, ranging from the farmers' protests, the northeast Delhi riots and the CAA-NRC protests, reporting from the ground on all of these. He also travels across the country to report on how environment and climate change impact everyday life, while also writing on endangered species. His reports in 2019 on toxic leachate from Delhi's landfills led to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) taking suo motu cognisance and ultimately asking the state government to start bio-mining to flatten and remove all three landfills in the capital. He also closely tracks the implementation of government policies on climate, renewable energy and environmental protection. His focus remains on impactful, public-interest journalism which explains how environmental decisions affect people's everyday lives.Read More