Airport Express cuts frequent fliers’ woes

Mar 01, 2011 - Swati Vishnoi |

Age Correspondent

Delhi’s wait for a high-speed express is finally over as the Airport Express Metro line finally rolled out recently. And as flyers enjoy Metro’s first ride, many share their positive experiences and find it an extremely cost effective and time saving alternative to taking a taxi to the airport.
“It is a dream come true. Travelling in this train makes me believe that we are in sync with the developed world now. The monopoly of taxi drivers, who used to harass us will end now. This outstanding service is not only a technological marvel, it is safe too,” says Gurgaon-based Ankit Singh, who boarded the airport line for his flight to London.
The Metro covers a 23-km stretch between the centre of New Delhi and Indira Gandhi International Airport and has cut travelling time from an hour to around 18 minutes, with trains running every 12 minutes or less.
It would save many from getting stuck in the traffic chaos enroute the airport. Aditya Rana, a psychologist and a frequent flier to Chennai said he was quite elated and surprised to experience the world-class service. “I wanted to save money and also experience the swift travel to the airport. Every time I had to start three-to-four hours before time, but now it’s a going to be a quick and hassle-free journey. The fair `80 is also quite affordable. Next time, I’ll only use the Airport Metro whenever I’m flying,” he adds.
However teething troubles, like the lack of feeder services, has irked some commuters and remains to be addressed.
“Everything was perfect, except I wasn’t able to see luggage trolleys anywhere. I had a huge bag with me that I had to lug for sometime till an official came and showed me where the trolleys were,” said Suman Bhatt, who took the Airport Express, while travelling to Mumbai recently. She also added a small complaint that there were no feeder buses to the domestic airport. “It is a little difficult for passengers to reach terminal 1D from T3. I hope they start feeder services soon,” she added.

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