A construction never done before in India: Delhi Airport Express Link

Delhi Metro's Airport Express Link is a construction that is historical for India - both in what it offers and how it is completed (almost complete).

What it offers? What is the use of this Express Link?

Currently, TOKYO, BEJING, SHANGHAI, KUALA LAMPUR, HONG KONG, SINGAPORE, OSLO, LONDON and BANGKOK have airport express links by which people from certain crucial central points of the city can head to the airport directly through a fast train link running at 130 -150 km/hr.

Here's a table comparing HongKong and Delhi's Airport Express Link (operational in Sept 2010 for the Commonwealth Games):

It will be 24*7 service.

	NEW DELHI	HONG KONG
Max Speed	120 km/hr	130 km/hr
No of Stations	5	5
Frequency	10 min	12 min
Total duration of travel	18 min	24 min
Check in luggage’s at stations	YES	YES
LCD Screens inside the train displaying real time info on flight details	YES	YES

Let's look at the existing commute between New Delhi Railway Station and Airport and as well as Dwarka.

	CURRENT	AFTER EXPRESS LINK OPENS
Commuting Time on Road 1)NEW DELHI RAIL STATION-AIRPORT Distance: 19 km 2) NEW DELHI RAIL STATION – DWARKA Distance: 22.7 km	1.5 hrs (traffic) 2 hrs (traffic)	18 min (flat time) 20 min (flat time)

The Shivaji Stadium station actually will have

• Multi-level parking
• Eateries 
• 40 baggage counters,
• 8 ticketing counters,
• 4 lifts, 4 escalators, 4 staircases

What are the stations?

NEW DELHI RAILWAY STATION, SHIVAJI STADIUM, DHAULA KHAN, NH 8 (delhi aerocity), AIRPORT.

The Dhaula Khan and NH8 are more to cater to residents of SOUTH DELHI and GURGAON, while Railway Station is to most parts of Delhi.

How about Luggage Transfer?

There is a dedicated conveyor belt and a tunnel through which these luggages are taken directly to the airport after screening. Currently, the idea is check in only at the Railway Station (the starting point). Of course, the security concerns are very huge and discussions are being held how they can handle this. Hence, the passengers can carry their luggage in the train and to do so, the trains have dedicated luggage compartments in each coach and does not interfere with their seating inside the train.

Concerns:

Security: Is the luggage screened at these stations? What about if a terror threat or someone carries harmful materials? What checking and security staff would be placed here? Most people may prefer actually carrying their luggage with them. So, will the tunnel be of any use? No matter what these are significant functional aspects and really not a big issue. What is more important is the availability of such a fast train. 

The Type of Construction:

1) First, 7 km is elevated while 15.7 km is underground. The underground is from ND Railway Station to Shivaji Stadium and then it is elevated up to NH8 and then underground.

Here's a look at how these tunnels were made for the first time using drilling/boring machines from Germany.

The picture also reveals the technique used.

2) THE MOST INTERESTING THING IS THAT RIGHT BELOW THE AIRPORT RUNWAY (18 m) below is the train station and passengers can go to the airport from there. The Airport Station is in the Airport.

Just click on the image and read the article above to see how this unheard construction in India is completed.

3) As far as elevated portion is concerned, Delhi Metro has built pillars without disturbing any traffic below or any intersecting highways. This is a major engineering feat in India. The image below describes how Delhi metro constructed this in a very short span using some innovative techniques.

PICTURES OF THE TRAIN ITSELF

These trains are different from the usual Metro trains currently running in Delhi and have been procured from Spain.

                                           
The baggage system and the interiors are built by SIEMENS and here is  a press release from SIEMENS
http://www.siemens.com/press/en/pressrelease/?press=/en/pressrelease/2009/mobility/IMO200905028.htm

Really happy to see such mammoth constructions completed so successfully in India....

Pics Couresy: Wiki, Google, Skyscrapercity