The Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the priority section of Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS Corridor at Sahibabad RapidX Station in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh today. He also flagged off the Namo Bharat RapidX train connecting Sahibabad to Duhai Depot, marking the launch of the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) in India.
Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister said that today is a historic moment for the nation as India’s first Rapid Rail Service, the Namo Bharat Train is being dedicated to the people. The two stretches of Metro will further strengthen the connectivity at the IT hub of Bengaluru. He informed that about 8 lakh passengers are traveling by Metro everyday.
The Prime Minister said, ‘Namo Bharat is a glimpse of India of the future and exemplifies the transformation of the nation with growing economic muscle. This 80 km Delhi Meerut stretch is just the beginning as the first phase will see many areas of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan being connected with Namo Bharat Train.’
He also informed that a similar system will be created in the other parts of the country to improve connectivity and create new avenues of employment.
The third decade of the present century is the decade of transformation of Indian Railways. Underling the thinking of multi-modal connectivity, the Prime Minister said that Delhi’s Sarai Kale Khan, Anand Vihar, Ghaziabad and Meerut bus stations, metro stations and railway stations are being connected by Namo Bharat system.
Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS Corridor
The 17 Km priority section of Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS Corridor will connect Sahibabad to ‘Duhai Depot’ with stations at Ghaziabad, Guldhar and Duhai on the way. The foundation stone for Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut corridor was laid by the Prime Minister on 8th March 2019.
In line with the Government’s vision to transform regional connectivity in the country through the construction of new world-class transport infrastructure, the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) project is being developed.
RRTS is a new rail-based, semi-high-speed, high-frequency commuter transit system. With a design speed of 180 Kmph, RRTS is a transformational, regional development initiative, which is designed to provide high-speed trains for intercity commuting every 15 minutes, which can go up to a frequency of every 5 minutes as per requirement.
A total of eight RRTS corridors have been identified to be developed in NCR, out of which three corridors have been prioritised to be implemented in Phase-I including Delhi – Ghaziabad – Meerut Corridor; Delhi – Gurugram – SNB – Alwar Corridor; and Delhi – Panipat Corridor. The Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS being developed at a cost of more than Rs 30,000 crore and will connect Delhi to Meerut in less than an hour of travel time going through the urban centres of Ghaziabad, Muradnagar, and Modinagar.
RRTS being developed in the country, is a state-of-the-art regional mobility solution and is comparable to the best in the world. It will provide safe, reliable and modern intercity commuting solutions in the country. In line with PM GatiShakti National Master Plan, the RRTS network will have extensive multi-modal integration with Railway stations, Metro stations, Bus services etc. Such transformative regional mobility solutions will boost economic activity in the region; provide improved access to employment, education & healthcare opportunities; and help in the significant reduction of vehicular congestion & air pollution.
