In a significant move to transform regional connectivity, the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) has formally presented a draft Detailed Project Report (DPR) to the Haryana government. The report outlines plans for a major rapid rail corridor designed to link IFFCO Chowk in Gurgaon with Surajpur in Greater Noida.
The Proposed Route and Strategic Importance
This proposed corridor is a critical piece in a larger connectivity puzzle envisioned by the Centre. It aims to eventually form part of a high-speed rail link connecting Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport with the upcoming Noida International Airport in Jewar. The submitted DPR is currently awaiting feedback from the Haryana state authorities.
According to the draft plan, the approximately Rs 15,000 crore corridor will follow a specific path. Starting from IFFCO Chowk, it will move through Sector 54, enter Faridabad at Bata Chowk, proceed via the Sector 85-86 intersection, head towards Noida sector 142/168, and finally terminate at Surajpur. Notably, this route with six stations will completely bypass Delhi.
This Gurgaon-Noida link is set to be the third RRTS corridor planned through Haryana. The other two projects—the Delhi-Gurgaon-Manesar-Bawal corridor (93km, ~Rs 32,000 crore) and the Delhi-Panipat-Karnal corridor (136km, ~Rs 33,000 crore)—have already received approval from the public investment board and await the Union Cabinet's final nod.
Underground vs Elevated: A Key Point of Contention
While the NCRTC has initially planned the corridor as an elevated line, the Haryana government has raised a significant objection, particularly for the section within Gurgaon. Citing exorbitant land costs and dense urbanisation, state officials have strongly recommended an underground alignment for the city stretch.
The issue was discussed at a high-level meeting on Tuesday involving officials from NCRTC, HSVP, FMDA, GMDA, GMRL, and HMRTC. Senior Haryana government representatives argued that an elevated high-speed corridor with only one or two stations in Gurgaon would offer minimal benefit to local commuters. They also warned it could permanently constrain future road expansions and mobility upgrades.
"An underground route eliminates this issue and preserves valuable surface land for future city needs," a senior official stated. Concerns were also raised that elevated tracks along key arterial roads would hinder future vertical expansion of these already saturated corridors, which may soon require flyovers, multi-level junctions, and integrated bus systems.
Expert Opinion on Station Density and Commuter Shift
Urban mobility planning consultant Ashok Bhattacharjee weighed in on the debate, clarifying that the choice between underground and elevated systems is largely a matter of cost, land availability, and urban context, not technology. He emphasized a more crucial point: the need for multiple stations within the city to effectively capture ridership.
"A large working population in Gurgaon will only move to public transport if stations are easily accessible. A station serving a sparse catchment within a 3-5 km radius will not attract riders," Bhattacharjee cautioned. He stressed that the focus must be on serving people's actual travel patterns between where they live and work, not merely on running a system.
An NCRTC official noted that discussions are still preliminary, with feedback being sought from all stakeholders. The state has also questioned whether the number of stations in Gurgaon can be increased to better serve local transit needs.
Broader Regional Connectivity and Travel Times
The proposed corridor is designed to integrate seamlessly with other RRTS lines. It will link with the Delhi-Bawal corridor (which will have an IGI Airport station) at IFFCO Chowk. Similarly, its terminal at Surajpur is a proposed station on the Ghaziabad-Jewar RRTS corridor, which is also under exploration by the Centre and UP government.
The impact on travel times promises to be transformative for the NCR. An RRTS ride from IFFCO Chowk to Faridabad is projected to take just 22 minutes, and the journey from IFFCO Chowk to Noida is estimated at a mere 38 minutes. This high-speed link is expected to take a major load off Delhi's overburdened transport grid and redefine daily commuting in the region.
