The Delhi Metro railway has made it easy for commuters from West Delhi and Dwarka sub-city to travel to the Indira Gandhi International Airport. The upcoming Dwarka Sector 21 station is being designed so to allow commuters to board the train to the airport without having to change platforms.
“The Dwarka Sector 21 station will be unique as it will essentially be two stations merged into one. It will have four levels -- the platforms will be at the underground level, concourse at the ground level and the two levels above will be reserved for commercial development. Each level will have an area of about 12,500 sq. m.,” said a Delhi Metro Rail Corporation spokesperson.
The Airport Metro Express Line (AMEL) and Line 3 (Noida to Dwarka Sector 9), which will later be extended, will both terminate at Dwarka Sector 21 and each will have a separate operational system. While the Line 3 is on broad gauge, the AMEL will be on standard gauge.
“According to estimates, over 40,000 commuters are expected to travel every day between Dwarka Sector 21 and the airport in 2010-11. As a majority of them are likely to use Line 3 to come to Dwarka Sector 21 and then take the AMEL, special provisions were made at the design stage itself to ensure minimum hassles for them during interchange. To ensure this, the platforms of both Line 3 and the AMEL are being built at the same underground level,” said the spokesperson.
Line 3 trains will terminate and the AMEL trains will start from either side of the same “island” platform between the two tracks. Thus commuters exiting from Line 3 trains will just have to walk across the platform to board the AMEL trains.
“As the AMEL will have a different fare structure, token counters and automatic fare collection (AFC) gates will be installed on the island platform itself so that commuters do not have to go to the concourse level to buy tokens. A glass barrier will also be installed in the middle of the island platform to separate the AMEL from Line 3 even though they will remain visually connected. Thus this will be the first metro station to have AFC gates on the platforms,” the spokesperson explained.
There will, however, be segregated entries for airport line and Line 3 at the ground level. The station will be different even at the ground level with separate AFC gates for the entry of Line 3 and airport-bound passengers, separate token counters and separate lifts, stairs and escalators to access the platforms. There will be different station control rooms for Line 3 and AMEL as well.
“The provision of direct link to the airport from Dwarka Sector 21 will hugely benefit residents of the area as in its absence they have to travel about 10 km each time they go to the airport,” he said.
The DMRC spokesperson said the Dwarka Sector 21 station will be part of a transport hub. The area is being developed as a transport hub with a train station (Shahbad-Mohammadpur), inter-State bus terminal and container depot being built in the area by various agencies. For the benefit of people who want to access the railway station situated behind the metro station from the road in front, a passage through the unpaid area of Dwarka Sector 21 will also be provided.
“Dwarka Sector 21 will not have check-in facilities for airport-bound commuters as the distance to the IGIA station will be only 3.5 km which will be covered in about three minutes. Commuters can take their luggage in their trains for which baggage scanning will be done by the airport line operator,” the spokesperson said.
The AMEL as a whole is 22.7 km long from New Delhi to Dwarka Sector 21 and will have six stations. The line is scheduled to be opened in September 2010.
