Kundli and Sonipat have long lived in the shadow of Delhi, close enough to feel its pull but far enough to be treated as peripheral. That equation is now shifting. Two major transport projects - an extended Yellow Line metro and the Delhi–Panipat Regional Rapid Transit System are drawing the corridor into the heart of the National Capital Region’s growth map. What was once a quiet stretch of the highway is beginning to resemble an emerging urban spine.
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs recently gave in-principle approval for extending the Delhi Metro’s Yellow Line beyond Samaypur Badli, taking it further into Haryana through a route that touches Nathupur and continues to Sonipat. The plan includes 21 new stations across roughly 27 kilometres, stitching together areas such as Rohini, Bawana, Narela and the growing industrial pockets around Kundli. Once the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation finalises the detailed project report, the capital’s dense rail network will push past its traditional boundary and give this corridor a direct link to the city’s employment and education hubs.
For people living or working along the Kundli–Rai–NH 44 stretch, the change will be immediate. Close to 50,000 commuters are expected to use the extended line every day, reducing dependence on long road journeys and unpredictable traffic. Real estate developers say the impact on housing demand will be evident well before the first train rolls in. Better travel time, easier last-mile access and the assurance of a Delhi Metro link tend to act as early triggers in the property market. The effect has been seen in places like Dwarka, Noida and more recently on the Dwarka Expressway.
If the metro extension marks one half of the transformation, the other half comes with a faster and more ambitious project: the Delhi–Panipat Regional Rapid Transit System. The semi–high speed rail line is designed to run trains at up to 160 kilometres per hour across a 135 kilometre route, cutting the Delhi–Panipat commute by more than an hour. With a project cost of over Rs 21,000 crore, the corridor is one of the most significant pieces of regional infrastructure being built in northern India.
For Sonipat, the RRTS is more than a fast train. It changes the mental map of the region. Developers argue that households looking for larger homes at more affordable prices will now view Sonipat and Kundli as realistic options, especially with travel times to Delhi, Gurugram and Noida dropping sharply. Daily commuting from Sonipat to cyber hubs like Gurugram in under an hour opens a possibility that did not exist until recently.
The railway and metro projects sit within a wider infrastructure build–out that has been gathering pace. The Urban Extension Road II, connecting IGI Airport to Alipur with a spur toward Sonipat, is now operational and ties the district more firmly into Delhi’s expressway network. The Eastern Peripheral Expressway and the KMP Expressway have already drawn logistics and warehousing businesses to the area, which in turn attracts workers, ancillary industries and residential demand.
The industrial story is equally strong. Sonipat has become a significant manufacturing base, and Maruti Suzuki’s expansion in the region has triggered the familiar chain reaction of automotive suppliers and job creation. The presence of large educational institutions has helped build a stable population and a steady rental market, making the area attractive for both developers and investors.
Developers see the coming years as a turning point. Rahul Singla, Director of Mapsko Group, believes the city is nearing a real estate inflection point. He points to a mix of affordability, larger layouts and the search for quieter neighbourhoods as drivers of demand. The shift toward remote and hybrid work has added to that momentum by reducing the need to stay close to traditional business districts. According to him, the customer base is no longer only local; more buyers from Delhi and other metros are showing interest.
Abhay Kumar Mishra, President and CEO of Jindal Realty, sees the metro and the rapid rail as catalytic. Shorter travel times to the airport, central Delhi and major job centres will, in his view, expand Sonipat’s appeal well beyond its current industrial profile. Better accessibility, he says, tends to create a self–reinforcing cycle of investment and development.
Yashank Wason, Managing Director of Royal Green Realty, adds that the ongoing shift in buyer priorities is working in Sonipat’s favour. People want more space without losing out on connectivity, and the RRTS helps close that gap.
All of these factors point to a larger pattern. When major transit infrastructure arrives, it often rewrites the fortunes of the places along its route. Gurugram’s rise, the rapid expansion of Noida and the ripple effect of the Dwarka Expressway are examples of how connectivity reshapes land values and investment flows. The Kundli–Sonipat belt appears to be heading in the same direction.
As metro construction progresses and the rapid rail begins operations, the perceived distance between Sonipat and Delhi will shrink. The area is expected to move from being a distant neighbour to a well–connected extension of the capital’s growth arc. For investors, the real question is not whether the region will grow, but how soon they intend to place their bets on a corridor that is steadily stepping into the NCR mainstream.
