New Delhi: The upcoming 2.3 km Aerocity–Terminal 1 Delhi metro corridor, an extension of the Golden Line, will improve metro’s connectivity around IGI Airport. It will transform Terminal 1 into an interchange station by linking it with the Magenta Line.This corridor will also strengthen Aerocity’s role as a major transit hub by integrating the Airport Express Line, the Golden Line and the proposed RRTS Delhi-SNB-Alwar corridor.At present, the Airport Express (Orange Line) serves Aerocity and Terminal 3 metro stations, while Terminal 1 is connected through the Magenta Line. Once the new corridor becomes operational, both Aerocity and Terminal 1 will function as interchange stations, offering commuters seamless access to different parts of the airport, including Terminal 3.Currently, in the absence of direct metro connectivity between the terminals, passengers travelling from Terminal 1 to other parts of the airport depend on shuttle buses that run at intervals of about 20 minutes.The corridor will “eliminate the need for the shuttle bus transfer between the domestic and international terminals. Commuters will be able to travel between different parts of the airport using the metro,” an official said.The Aerocity station is being developed into a triple interchange hub, connecting the Airport Express and the Golden Lines of the Delhi metro and the proposed Delhi-SNB-Alwar corridor of Namo Bharat trains.The Golden Line and the proposed RRTS corridor will cross each other almost diagonally. The necessary structural provisions for the construction of the Namo Bharat platform will be kept in the station for its future integration, officials said.To handle passenger capacity, the new Aerocity station for the Golden Line will be significantly longer, at around 290 metres, to accommodate the interchange requirements. Generally, the length of an interchange station is about 260 metres. “Aerocity’s 290-metre platform is engineered to accommodate heavy passenger transfers,” the official said.The corridor is expected to be ready by late 2028. “It is a critical step toward strengthening airport connectivity, easing passenger transfers, and supporting the vision of integrated, world-class urban transport for the NCR. Designed with security considerations near the airport, the corridor runs entirely underground,” the official added.Aerocity–Terminal 1 is one of the three metro corridors approved as part of the Phase V(A) expansion.
