New Delhi, Oct. 7 -- The Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport's much-awaited Automated People Mover (APM), an air train that will connect Terminals 1 and 3 with Aerocity, the airport metro station, and the cargo area, is expected to be ready by 2030, with construction set to begin next year, airport officials said on Tuesday. "The 7.3km system, planned as part of a larger expansion of Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) to meet rising passenger demand through 2036," said Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) chief executive officer (CEO) Pradeep Panicker. It will have six stations and is expected to carry 55,000 passengers in its opening year and up to 85,000 passengers a day "at saturation", said Panicker. "The design work for the APM is underway and a consultant has already been appointed. A connectivity team is working on the project, with the design currently under finalisation. A vendor will be brought on board before construction begins. Once work starts, the project is expected to take around 30 months."The APM will come up at an estimated cost of Rs.3,500 crore. According to DIAL's latest Master Plan that was recently submitted to the civil aviation ministry, the APM will have an elevated section of 5.3km and an at-grade section (at ground-level) of 2km. As per the plan, the system is expected to operate at a frequency of one train every 10 minutes, with a travel time of around 13 minutes. The airport CEO said that the APM would provide a seamless connection with the existing airport metro network at Aerocity and would be located adjacent to the metro station rather than offering a direct platform-to-platform connection, with the aim of making the transfer as seamless as possible. To be sure, Aerocity is also expected to have connectivity to other metros including the under construction Golden Line and a proposed RRTS (Sarai Kale Khan to Alwar) expected to have a halt in Aerocity. The Master Plan for 2036 estimates that the airport will handle around 129 million passengers annually after accounting for the impact of the newly opened Noida International Airport (NIA) in Jewar. The wider Delhi-NCR airport system is projected to handle around 160 million passengers a year by 2036. "The forecast was prepared using historical traffic trends, economic growth, market analysis and airline fleet orders," Panicker said, adding that the plan takes into account changes in the regional aviation landscape, including the development of NIA and the opening of Hindon airport for commercial operations. The Master Plan also includes a series of terminal, airside and road infrastructure expansions to meet demand expected over the next decade. Panicker said passenger demand at Delhi airport is projected to reach 107 million by 2030 and the airport is expected to have the capacity to handle about 121 million passengers by then, providing capacity ahead of projected demand. The proposed terminal expansion includes a new Pier E at Terminal 3 for domestic passengers, additional check-in counters and an extension of the arrival baggage reclaim belts....