NDB approves $741-mn loans for Mumbai metro & Delhi-Meerut RRTS
The New Development Bank (NDB) set up by the BRICS countries including Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa has approved $241 million loan for Mumbai Metro and $500 million for the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) Project. The Shanghai-based bank's loan for the Mumbai Metro Rail II Project will be used for implementing a metro rail line 6 with a length of about 14.47 km. The Mumbai Metro Rail II Project aims to improve Mumbai's transport and traffic conditions by providing a modern metro system, featuring high-capacity, safe and comfortable mode of transport. Line 6 will provide much-needed rail-based connectivity between the western and eastern suburbs and will contribute towards an integrated seamless public transport network in the metro city where the project will be implemented by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority. Similarly, the loan approved for the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS Project would be used by the National Capital Region Transport Corporation Limited (NCRTC) for construction of a rapid rail corridor connecting the National Capital Territory of Delhi with the cities of Ghaziabad and Meerut. The RRTS will have a total length of 82.15 km (68.03 km elevated and 14.12 km underground) with 25 stations and will have a design speed of 180 km per hour, maximum operating speed of 160 km per hour and high-frequency operations, which will reduce the journey time from Delhi to Meerut to 60 minutes.
