SunCorp

A Metro rail link is being planned between the upcoming airport at Panvel and the old domestic and international terminals for the benefit of flyers and commuters.

 MMRDA commissioner Ratnakar Gaikwad said the new link, planned by Cidco and his agency, would run along the second line of the Metro’s Charkop-Bandra-Mankhurd route. “There will be a new link from Mankhurd to the Navi Mumbai airport, a distance of 20 km,’’ he said.
  

MMRDA officials said the extra 20 km would be planned as a separate project and the survey for it might be done by RITES. These will be combined at a later stage. This is being done as planning for the Metro’s Charkop-Bandra-Mankhurd line is almost complete, said officials.
    A small link has already been planned from Santa Cruz airport to Bandra-Kurla Complex to meet the Metro line. This will allow passengers to alight at the terminal and go directly to the Panvel airport.
    While the financial details are yet to worked out, the extra bill could run up to Rs 1,200 crore-Rs 1,500 crore, officials said. Gaikwad said Cidco was keen on having a Metro link between the two airports so that passengers could swiftly move from one to another. Officials said the link would help both Indian and foreign passengers move to other domestic destinations from Santa Cruz. “Most international airports around the world have Metro stations close to them for easy movement of passengers,’’ said one of them.
    The new Metro line will increase the MMRDA’s scope of work. The agency is already going ahead with execution of the first two lines of the first phase of Mumbai Metro. The first line of the Metro will run along the Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar route, a distance of 15 km.