Airport Metro station at Terminal 1D to have state-of-the-art features

The upcoming Airport Metro station at Terminal 1D of the Indira Gandhi International Airport will be equipped with modern technology.

The new technology will be aimed at making it easier for the trains to manoeuvre with ease by taking turns. Moreover, the soon-to-be-inducted driverless Metro trains, with advanced features, will pass through this station.

The station will be among the longest, spanning a length of 312.2 m. Underground stations are normally around 260 m long. Delhi Metro is set to throw open the new station by May this year.

"The name of Metro station will likely be 'Terminal 1-IGI Airport'. It will have five entry/exit points, with two supportive subways for smooth passage [both above 100 m in length]. The first will be for arrival and another for the departure of commuters.

The third entry point will cater to people in Mehram Nagar residential area. The fourth entry/exit point will open nearby the police station building and the fifth will interface with the ramp of the departure periphery of the airport," said a Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) official on the condition of anonymity.

The station will welcome commuters with bright interior architecture from granite stone, stainless steel finish and colourful pattern with ceramic tiles on the floors.

According to officials, the "newly built station will be illuminated with bright lights", in order to bring life to the station. Moreover, glazed ceramic Jali work will be used to provide better ventilation and daylight.

These jali's will also be used to cover the utility services like ancillary buildings, chiller plants and side panels of entry/exit structures.

"The underground stations of Phase III of Delhi Metro project will have interiors made up of screen-printed glass panels, with stainless steel sandwich panels. These panels will be fire proof and later on may be used for advertising purpose," an official added. As per official data, the estimated ridership of the station in 2017 will be 66,405 and is expected to increase to 97,184 in 2021.

At present, Airport Express link provides Metro connectivity to the new terminal T3 of IGI airport, which is the corridor for all international carriers and all premium domestic airlines. However, there is no Metro connectivity for the domestic terminals from where the low-cost operators fly.