The Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS is being developed at a cost of over Rs 30,000 crore and will connect Delhi to Meerut in less than an hour.
The next 25-km stretch of India’s first regional rapid transit system (RRTS) corridor from Ghaziabad’s Duhai depot to Meerut South is likely to be opened in two months, National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) officials said on Tuesday.
NCRTC Chief PRO Punit Vats told the media that the extension between Duhai and Meerut South station is the next section of the RRTS corridor to be opened to the public after the priority section inaugurated last year.
“The 17 km long priority section of Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor is currently operational. Team NCRTC is working rapidly towards running NaMo Bharat trains in the next two months from Duhai to Meerut South i.e. 25 km long additional section beyond the priority section. There will be four stations in this section – Muradnagar, Modinagar South, Modinagar North and Meerut South,’ Vatsa said.
He said, once operational, the 42 km long section from Sahibabad to Meerut South (from Delhi border to Meerut border) will be available to give passengers a reliable, safe, high-speed commuting experience in NaMo Bharat trains. .
Considering the pace of work, there is a possibility of connecting with Delhi in January next year. Team NCRTC is working enthusiastically towards completing the entire 82 km corridor before its targeted schedule of June 2025,” he further said.
At present, the structural work of Anand Vihar station platform is almost complete and the track laying process is underway. Moreover, the minimum distance of one tunnel from the existing metro station is 100 mm, while the minimum distance of the other tunnel is one metre, another official said.
Earlier, NCRTC had started the trial run of NaMo Bharat trains between Duhai and Meerut South stations of the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) corridor on December 29.
In October 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the priority section of the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor at Sahibabad RapidX station in Uttar Pradesh. The 17 km long priority section of RRTS connects Sahibabad with ‘Duhai Depot’ and also has Ghaziabad, Guldhar and Duhai stations en route.
It is pertinent to note that, the new age RRTS is a semi-high-speed train with high-frequency commuter transit system. Designed for a speed of 180 km per hour, the RRTS is designed to provide high-speed intercity movement every 15 minutes, going up to a frequency of every 5 minutes as per requirement.
Currently, a total of eight RRTS corridors have been identified to be developed in NCR, out of which three corridors have been prioritized for implementation in Phase-I, namely Delhi – Ghaziabad – Meerut Corridor, Delhi – Gurugram – SNB – Includes Alwar Corridor. And Delhi-Panipat Corridor.
The Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS is being developed at a cost of over Rs 30,000 crore and will connect Delhi to Meerut in less than an hour, passing through the urban centers of Ghaziabad, Muradnagar and Modinagar.