On Monday (27 June), the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) announced plans to construct two new expressways and a rail link connecting Chola Railway Station in Bulandshahr on the Delhi-Howrah rail line to Jewar, the site of the upcoming Noida International Airport.
The proposed plan was approved at the 77th board meeting of YEIDA on Monday (27 June).
YEIDA will now seek approval from the Uttar Pradesh government for these projects and prepare a detailed project report (DPR) containing the budget and other provisions before commencing work at the site, as per officials.
According to the plan, the two expressways will be separated by a 2.5km gap which will be developed into a warehousing and logistics hub, creating significant business opportunities and employment.
While one of the expressways will be 20km long, the other will be 16km long, with the rail link constructed along the 20km expressway. The rail link will connect the Jewar airport and the logistics hub to the Delhi-Howrah rail link located at Chola railway station in Bulandshahr.
The 75-metre-wide expressways will have parallel service roads and a green belt.
“The goal of constructing the rail link and the two expressways is to connect Jewar airport with the Delhi-Howrah railway line so that this region can benefit from rail connectivity and the high-speed Metro in the pipeline until Delhi. The government also plans to expand Chola Railway Station into a bigger platform to cater to the expected increase in traffic,” said Arun Vir Singh, chief executive officer of YEIDA.
Master Plan 2041
YEIDA has already approved the master plan 2041, which outlines the area for two expressways and a rail link to provide multi-modal connectivity to the Jewar airport and the dedicated space between the two expressways.
According to the master plan, the Yamuna Authority will acquire land from 55 villages in nearby Bulandshahr for this project.
Recently, nearly 55 villages of Bulandshahr were brought under the YEIDA area, with the Chola railway station on the Delhi-Howrah railway route and the under-construction eastern dedicated freight corridor, which runs parallel to the Delhi-Howrah railway line, falling within YEIDA boundaries now.
The Authority will start the the development of warehousing, logistics and connectivity projects following the land acquisition.