Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs, Hardeep Singh Puri, announced that India is set to establish the world's second-largest operational urban transport metro system within the next 18 months. Speaking in Delhi, Puri highlighted the rapid progress of India's urban transportation, stating that the upcoming Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS Corridor, a high-speed link between cities, will drastically reduce travel times. Currently, the journey from Delhi to Meerut takes 3 hours, but once the corridor is operational, it will be completed in just 50-55 minutes, marking a significant advancement in connectivity.

Puri emphasised that this development is part of India's continuous growth, driven by a flourishing economy. He noted that as the economy expands, urban spaces, investments, and amenities for citizens will also grow in proportion to the increase in GDP.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the priority section of the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS Corridor, spanning 17 kilometres from Sahibabad to 'Duhai Depot,' with stations at Ghaziabad, Guldhar, and Duhai. This inauguration marked a historic moment for the country, as it introduced India's first Rapid Rail services, the 'Namo Bharat' train, to the nation. The corridor, whose foundation stone was laid by the Prime Minister on March 8, 2019, aligns with Modi's vision to enhance regional connectivity by constructing state-of-the-art transport infrastructure. The RRTS project represents a significant step forward in India's transportation landscape, being a new rail-based, semi-high-speed, and high-frequency commuter transit system.