IGI may get air train for inter-terminal transits

NEW DELHI: A pleasant surprise may greet air travellers at Delhi airport when the current phase of expansion gets over by mid-2022. The country’s biggest airport could get an air train, or automated passenger mover (APM), to ensure smooth transit between terminal 3 and the expanded T1, when it is ready by June 2022.
IGI’s capacity will be 10 crore passengers annually once the bigger T1 and the fourth runway get ready. Given the volume of projected transit traffic, Delhi International Airport Pvt Ltd (DIAL) has realised there is no way such numbers can commute between terminals by shuttle buses alone, as they currently do.
“We have appointed a Singapore-based consultant to examine which option — tram, elevated train or something else — will be the most suitable and cost-effective APM between T1, T3 and places such as cargo and Aerocity. The cost is likely to be Rs 2,000-2,500 crore. We are seeing if it can be ready along with the current expansion work in T1 and the fourth runway,” said a senior official.
Unlike New York’s JFK or Singapore’s Changi, IGIA’s APM will be located at walking distance from the terminals. “Both T3 and T1 have Metro stations outside the terminals. Among the options being examined are those on offer from Mitsubishi and a Swiss company,” the official said.
An air train for IGIA was first announced more than three years ago but got delayed over funding. “We aren’t offering firm dates yet. We are trying to see if the APM can be ready by the time the expanded T1 gets ready by June 2022,” the official added.
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References

1. ^{^} tram (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)

from Times of India https://ift.tt/34oDUgE