The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the priority section of Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS Corridor at Sahibabad RapidX Station in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. 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. He also travelled on board the Regional Rapid Train Namo Bharat.
Image Credit: KEC
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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. He recalled laying the foundation stone for the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS Corridor four years ago and marked its operation today on the Sahibabad to Duhai Depot stretch.
He reiterated the government’s commitment to inaugurate the projects whose foundation stones are laid and expressed confidence that he will be present to inaugurate the completion of the Meerut stretch of RRTS after one and a half years. He shared his experience of travelling in the Namo Bharat earlier today and expressed delight at the transformation of Railways in the country.
Noting the occasion of Navratri, the Namo Bharat has been blessed by Mata Katyayani. He also informed that women make up the entire support staff and the locomotive pilots of the newly inaugurated Namo Bharat Train. “Namo Bharat is a symbol of the strengthening of women power in the country.
He congratulated the people of Delhi, NCR and Western Uttar Pradesh for today’s projects on the auspicious occasion of Navratri. He said that the Namo Bharat train has modernity and speed. “Namo Bharat Train is defining the new journey of New India and its new resolutions.”
He stressed that 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. In the coming days, a similar system will be created in the other parts of the country to improve connectivity and create new avenues of employment.
This third decade of the present century is the decade of transformation of Indian Railways. Indian railway will achieve a new pedestal in the world in safety, cleanliness, facilities, coordination, sensitivity, and capability. Indian railway is not very far from the goal of 100 percent electrification.
He listed initiatives like modern trains such as Namo Bharat and Vande Bharat and the upgradation of the railway station under Amrit Bharat Railway station scheme. “Trinity of Amrit Bharat, Vande Bharat and Namo Bharat will become a symbol of modern railways by the end of this decade.”
Underlying the thinking of multi-modal connectivity, Delhi’s Sarai Kale Khan, Anand Vihar, Ghaziabad and Meerut bus stations, metro stations and railway stations are being connected by Namo Bharat system.
Around Rs 3 lakh crores are being spent on modern trains such as Namo Bharat or metro trains. Drawing parallels from the expansion of the metro network in Delhi, cities like Noida, Ghaziabad, Lucknow, Meerut, Agra and Kanpur from Uttar Pradesh are following a similar path. Even in Karnataka, the metro is being expanded in Bengaluru and Mysuru.
Governor of Uttar Pradesh, Ms. Anandiben Patel, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Shri Yogi Adityanath, and Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs, Shri Hardeep Singh Puri were present on the occasion among others.
Image Credit: KEC
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 Prime Minister’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 Gati Shakti 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.
Source: PIB- Press Release | Featured Image Credit: Alstom
