The Yamuna Expressway, also known as the Taj Expressway, is 165.5 km long and connects the national capital Delhi with Agra, home to the country’s most important monument, the Taj Mahal. Yamuna Expressway, which was officially inaugurated by the then Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Akhilesh Yadav on 9 August 2012, is a six-lane access-controlled highway. It has seven interchanges, several important bridges, and one long flyover.
The expressway was aimed to reduce traffic on NH-2, thereby reducing travel time from Delhi to Agra or vice versa by about two and a half hours. Akhilesh Yadav launched this important project through a video conference from his home in Lucknow. Yamuna Expressway is considered one of the most advanced highways in India, with CCTV surveillance, an Intelligent Transport System for security and accident assistance, mobile radar, and patrols to maintain minimum and maximum speed limits.
Yamuna Expressway
- Length: 165.537 km
- Right of Way: 100 meters
- Cost: ₹12,839 crore
- Lanes: 6 lanes (expandable to 8 lanes)
- Starting Point: Pari Chowk, Greater Noida
- Ending Point: Kuberpur, Agra
- Completion Year: 9 August 2012
The 165.5 km long Yamuna Expressway, also known as the Taj Expressway, connects Delhi to Agra passing through Mathura and Aligarh. It is made up of six lanes. With the development of this expressway, it now takes about two and a half hours to cover the distance of 210 kilometers from Delhi to Agra. Earlier the journey took about a hundred minutes. The Yamuna Expressway project reduced traffic congestion on the old GT Road and National Highway-2 and created a smooth corridor for traffic to the center of the cities and the eastern side of the Yamuna.
Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) built the expressway in three phases, at Rs 12,839 crore (US$1.6 billion).
Yamuna Expressway Route Map
Yamuna Expressway has increased access to many important cities of Uttar Pradesh, starting from Pari Chowk in Noida and ending at Kuberpur in Agra on National Highway 2. Also, the expressway connects the inner Agra Ring Road to the 302 km long Agra-Lucknow Expressway, providing quick access to Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh.
In the future, the Yamuna Expressway (Taj Expressway) will be connected to the Eastern Peripheral Expressway (or Kundli-Ghaziabad-Palwal Expressway), which will be built near Jaganpura-Afzalpur village located along the highway in Gautam Buddha Nagar district.
To provide easy access to the expressway, 13 service roads have been planned, which are 168 kilometers long. Parking, shelters, restrooms, gas stations, coffee stores, restaurants, motels, and rest areas are also planned. Also, landscaping and tree planting have been proposed for environmental, safety, and aesthetic reasons. CCTV cameras and SOS booths have been installed on the highway for additional security.
Yamuna Expressway Toll Charges
There are three points for Yamuna Expressway toll charges: 38 kilometers, 95 kilometers, and 150 kilometers from Greater Noida. The toll fee for cars and jeeps is Rs 2.65 per km, while minibusses will have to pay Rs. 3.85 per km trucks and buses will have to pay a toll of fifty rupees. Whereas heavy vehicles will have to pay Rs. 11.94 per km. Vehicles that use the expressway more than 19 times monthly are eligible for special discounts.
Yamuna Expressway Specifications
- On 21 May 2015, the Indian Air Force successfully landed a French Dassault Mirage 2000 for the first time in India on the Yamuna Expressway near Raya village in Mathura.
- This drill exercise was to evaluate the utility of using the highways for emergency landings by military aircraft.
- There are also SOS booths and toll-free helplines on the Yamuna Expressway.
- CCTV cameras have been installed on the road every 5 km or 3.1 miles.
- There are mobile radars that monitor minimum and maximum speed limits, And a highway is issued every 25 km (16 mi).
- The expressway is expected to be used by more than 100,000 vehicles every day, reducing travel time between Agra and Greater Noida from four hours to one hour and forty minutes.
Yamuna Expressway Connectivity
Travel time from Greater Noida to Vrindavan will be reduced. Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) is planning to build a dedicated expressway, which will be seven kilometers long, to connect Yamuna Expressway to Vrindavan. Also, the administration is planning to build a heritage city on both sides of the Greenfield Expressway that will depict the life of Lord Krishna.
The expressway will start from the Vrindavan exit and end at Banke Bihari Temple, 1.5 km earlier. CBRE South Asia Private Limited is conducting a Detailed Project Report (DPIR). Vrindavan Bypass, Chaurasi Kosi Yatra, and Mathura and Vrindavan Ropeway are other projects proposed near Vrindavan. YEIDA is expanding the Yamuna Expressway from 6 to 8 lanes as it is receiving more traffic.
More than a hundred buses run between these two places every day. You can board an interstate bus from Delhi to Agra from Anand Vihar ISBT or take your bus. The journey usually takes 3 hours and 20 minutes.
The distance from Delhi to Agra is approximately 240 km by road. Yamuna Expressway covers a distance of approximately 165 km and has a maximum speed of 80 mph. If you travel with the maximum speed limit, it will take you only two and a half hours to reach Agra. This is the fastest way to go from Agra to Delhi.
12049 Gatimaan Express is the fastest train from Agra to New Delhi. This train takes New Delhi in 1 hour 45 minutes. The train departs from Agra AGC at 17:45 hrs and reaches New Delhi NDLS at approximately 19:30 hrs. 12049 Gatimaan Express runs on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.
The air distance from Delhi to Agra is about 180 km. There are many flights between Delhi and Agra. In the morning, Air India flights go from Varanasi to Agra airport. The journey generally takes 1 hour 20 minutes.
Conclusion
Yamuna Expressway is a very sought-after real estate area in Delhi-NCR, giving many options to investors and property buyers. It is 165 kilometers from Greater Noida to Agra, which also includes Aligarh and Mathura. Many large developers are taking an interest in setting up various residential and industrial complexes along the highway. Yamuna Expressway is a prime investment location with high growth potential.