Light rail transit system to connect Noida airport, Film City off Yamuna Expressway

NOIDA: A light rail transit system will link Noida International Airport with Film City off Yamuna Expressway through a corridor that will be integrated with the RRTS route.
The decision was taken at a board meeting of Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) on Thursday, when NCR Transport Corporation made a presentation on the 72km rapid rail route it is planning between the airport and Ghaziabad.

Officials said the proposal to link Film City and the airport via light rail was sent to the Centre for approval.
Earlier, the 14km route was supposed to be connected by pod taxis. Conceived in 2021, the first tender for 12 stations off the expressway was issued in July last year, with an estimated project cost of Rs 641.5 crore. Despite multiple extensions to submit bids, no companies came forward, raising questions on the project's feasibility.
So, YEIDA was asked to conduct a comparative study between pod taxi and light rail. When UP govt approved the 72km RRTS corridor between Ghaziabad and the airport, NCRTC submitted a project report to include either pod taxi or light rail in it. Metro trains were anyway supposed to ply on the tracks.
"The plan now is for three services on the same tracks — metro, RRTS and light rail — with only loops and sections differentiating them. Metro trains will run at an interval of 3.5 minutes, rapid rail after every 7 minutes and light rail in a gap of 8 minutes. UP govt has already approved this plan. It has now been sent to the Union ministry of housing and urban affairs for clearance," said Arun Vir Singh, YEIDA CEO.
The original 72km track plan has seen a change too. "The RRTS corridor was originally planned in two phases —Ghaziabad to Ecotech VI and Ecotech VI to Jewar. Now, it will be constructed as a single, unified project," Singh said.
So, why three trains for a single route? Officials said each served a different purpose. For instance, those planning a long journey all the way to airport would preferably take the rapid rail because of its speed. Metro, on the other hand, will also ply on the same tracks but will stop at every station, requiring much longer to cover the distance.
Light rail will primarily cater to sectors along the Yamuna Expressway between Film City and airport.
The 72km project is supposed to be ready by 2031. While the Centre and state govt together will contribute 40% of the funds, the rest will be raised by development authorities in Greater Noida, Yamuna Expressway and Ghaziabad.
NCRTC has been tasked with securing 60% funds initially. Should it succeed, no additional contribution will be required from local authorities.
Among other decisions taken at the board meeting on transport infrastructure, a 10km corridor will connect the Aqua Line station at Sector 51 with the RRTS corridor at Knowledge Park V.
Housing and Urban Development Corporation (Hudco), meanwhile, has assured YEIDA of a loan worth more than Rs 30,000 crore for connectivity projects, in addition to Rs 3,300 crore for land acquisition.