Board approves Rs. 21,902-cr NCR rail corridor

In a major relief to the rail users of the area, the Board of National Capital Region Transport Corporation has recently cleared the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Rapid Rail Transit Corridor (RRTC) enabling travel at the rate of 160 km/h. The 92 km-long corridor, which entailed an investment of Rs 21,902 crore, will bring down travel time between Delhi and Meerut to 60 minutes by a normal train.

The project was conceived more than 10 years ago and is a segment of a larger plan to connect important towns in the NCR region with Delhi through a high speed based commuter transit system. The entire corridor is expected to be completed by 2024. The corridor will originate at the Sarai Kale Khan bus-terminal and pass through Delhi, Ghaziabad and Meerut regions before terminating at Modipuram. Of the 92.05 km-long stretch, 60.354km will be on an elevated viaduct, 30.245 km underground, while 1.451 km will be at grade for connections to two depots, one each at Duhai and Modipuram. In Delhi and Meerut, the RRTC will be underground, including the stretch where the line will cross the Yamuna. The section running along the median of the Delhi-Meerut highway will be elevated with 17 stations.