Mumbai, June 29 -- The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) proposed two options to extend the Airport Express Line to Gurugram, and draft detailed project reports were presented at the sixty-fifth Haryana Mass Rapid Transport Corporation (HMRTC) board meeting in Chandigarh. Proposals envisage extensions from Yashobhoomi to Rajiv Chowk on National Highway 48 and from Dwarka Sector 21 to Sector 21 Gurugram. The draft DPRs were shared with HMRTC and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) for evaluation.

Both DMRC reports recommend underground construction, and the union housing ministry suggested combining alignments with stations at Bijwasan and Kapashera to improve connectivity. HMRTC has also proposed a metro line between Rezangla Chowk and Dwarka Sector 21, creating three options under consideration. The final decision will rest with MoHUA after ridership studies and route comparison.

The proposals trace to plans from 2011 and 2015, with one Airport Express extension approved in principle in 2016, shelved and revived in 2025. The Dwarka to Gurugram extension was formally presented at the board meeting while the Rezangla corridor received cabinet approval in 2022 and was revised. The meeting was chaired by Anurag Rastogi, chief secretary of Haryana.

The board was informed that the final DPR for the proposed Sector 56 Gurugram to Panchgaon corridor is complete and will be placed before the chief minister; the route is a 35.25 km elevated line with 28 stations. The revised DPR of the 136.3 km Delhi-Panipat-Karnal Namo Bharat Corridor was reviewed and estimated to cost more than Rs 330 billion (bn). HMRTC reported a surplus of Rs 91.8 million (mn) during January to May 2026 against a deficit of Rs 19.8 million (mn) in the same period last year.

Rapid Metro ridership in Gurugram rose by nine point four one per cent, with more than eight point zero seven million (mn) commuters in the first five months of 2026 compared with seven point three eight million (mn) a year earlier. Officials said final alignments will be decided after the ministry evaluates ridership studies and issues construction guidance.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Construction World.