NCR Planning Board nod for Delhi-Meerut Rapid Rail Project

The long awaited Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Rapid Rail Transit System (RRTS), expected to start operations by 2024, has received approval for the Rs 21,902 crore project from the board of National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC), which has the mandate of building the corridor. The corridor is expected to reduce travel time between Delhi and Meerut by about an hour. The Delhi-Meerut RRTS corridor project, one of such corridors proposed in 2005 by the National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB) under a ‘Functional Plan on Transport for NCR-2032’, was first conceived more than 10 years ago. As per reports, the Delhi-Meerut RRTS corridor will start from Sarai Kale Khan terminus station, which would become a transit hub with an existing bus terminal and the Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station nearby. The corridor would pass through densely populated areas of Delhi, Ghaziabad and Meerut, terminating at Modipuram. Of the total 92.05-km-long corridor, 60.354 km is elevated viaduct, 30.245 km is underground and 1.451 km will be at grade for connections to two depots at Duhai and Modipuram. In Delhi and Meerut area, the RRTS will be underground, including the crossing of Yamuna river, according to reports. There will be a total of 17 stations, including 11 elevated and six underground stations. The 38.05-km-long Sahibabad-Meerut South section, including Duhai Depot, is expected to become operational by January 2023, the 16.60-km Sarai Kale Khan-Sahibabad in January 2024 and the remaining 37.40-km Meerut South- Modipuram in July 2024, reports indicate.