NEW DELHI, Oct 20: The Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated the country’s first Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) named “Namo Bharat.” in Ghaziabad.
The 17 km priority section on the Delhi-Meerut line from Sahibabad to Duhai will be open to passengers from Saturday. The entire Delhi-Meerut corridor is scheduled to be completed by 2025.
The inauguration ceremony took place at Sahibabad station of the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor, which once fully completed, will reduce travel time between Delhi and Meerut to a little less than an hour. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Union Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri were present at the ceremony.
The services will begin at 6 a.m. and run till 11 p.m., the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) officials said. The train has five standard coaches, with one reserved for women, and a premium coach. While a ticket for a seat in the standard coach costs ₹20, passengers have to shell out double that amount to enjoy a ride in the premium coach. End-to-end travel in a standard coach will cost a total of ₹50 and ₹100 in the premium coach. Travel is free for children whose height is below 90 cm.
The priority section between Sahibabad and Duhai Depot has five stations— Sahibabad, Ghaziabad, Guldhar, Duhai and Duhai Depot. The segment from Duhai to Duhai Depot is a spur from the main corridor.
The under-construction RRTS corridor, being built for the semi-high-speed regional rail service by the NCRTC, is a joint venture company of the Centre with the governments of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. The NCRTC has been tasked to oversee the construction of India’s first RRTS, between Delhi and Meerut.
(Manas Dasgupta)