A new Metro connection is set to take off soon to make the airport commute smoother for fliers.

A Rs 300-crore proposal has been sent to the Railway Board to convert the airport’s suburban rail link into a Metro route extending till Noapara, where a new station would be built.

A walkalator — similar to the escalator except that it covers horizontal instead of vertical distance — will also be installed from Biman Bandar station to the new integrated airport terminal to spare passengers the trouble of walking some distance with luggage.

One of the problems being faced by inbound passengers using the suburban train service is the distance from the terminal to the station that has to be covered on foot and then the steep climb to first-floor level.

“The Metro conversion proposal was sent to Delhi recently after a survey. The connection is being planned in such a way that fliers from the southern and northern suburbs of the city would prefer to take the Metro to the airport instead of going by car,” a senior official of Metro Railway said on Tuesday.

Railway Board sources said the proposal was likely to be approved soon.

“We want Metro connectivity to the airport to be ready by the time the integrated terminal comes up,” an official said from New Delhi.

The commissioning target for the integrated terminal is May 2011.

Eastern Railway runs nine pairs of trains between Dum Dum and Biman Bandar stations but there are very few takers for the service.

“We hardly get passengers on this route, which explains why the frequency of trains has not been increased all these years,” said an official of Eastern Railway.

According to Metro Railway’s proposal, the existing track from Dum Dum Cantonment to the airport will be retained because both Metro and suburban trains run on broad gauge lines.

“The existing overhead power supply will have to be replaced with the third-rail power supply system that our rakes require,” explained a Metro Railway engineer.

The elevated track laid a few years ago was merged with the suburban line near Dum Dum Cantonment.

A Metro station at Noapara will be the passenger interchange point. “One of the platforms will be used for trains bound for the airport while the other will be for those headed for Dum Dum Junction and onward to Garia,” an official said.

The route could be stretched from Noapara to Baranagar later.

According to officials, the new line would be aligned with the airport terminal for the convenience of passengers. The international terminal is presently around 200 metres from the station.

Once the new terminal comes up, it will be shifted by another 200 metres from the station.

“Accordingly, the station will also be shifted, aligning it with the terminal so that the distance will remain 200 metres. Walkalators will allow passengers to carry luggage without any problem,” an official said.