Delhi-Meerut Rapid Rail: First Section To Be Operational by 2023

Traveling between Delhi and Meerut is set to be easier soon, as the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC), the executing agency of the Rail Rapid Transit System (RRTS) has said that the entire Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor, spanning 82 kms, will be operational by 2025. Prime minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone of the Rail Rapid Transit System between Delhi and Meerut, on March 8, 2019.

The plan was approved by centre in February 2019 after both, the Uttar Pradesh and the Delhi governments, gave their go-ahead in January 2019.

PropGuide tells you more about the much-awaited route.

 The proposal

Originally conceived in 2007, the Delhi-Meerut Rapid Rail will be an 82-km-long-semi-high speed rail corridor that would connect Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut in the Phase-I of the RRTS. The project will be undertaken by the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC). The high-speed train would run at a speed of 160 kms per hour and the distance between Delhi and Meerut will be covered in 55 minutes. The train will be passing through some of the most congested stretches of the national capital region (NCR). The infrastructure is expected to get operational by 2024.

The route

Of the 82-km route, around 60 kms will be elevated, while the rest of the 22 kms will be underground. The Delhi-leg would start from the Sarai Kale Khan station, the transit hub with Sarai Kale Khan ISBT and Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station in proximity. The Sahibabad-Duhai section will be open for public use by 2023, while the Sarai Kale Khan-Sahibabad stretch will be operational by 2024 and the rest of the section will be open for public use by 2025. The approved route is as follows:

-        Sarai Kale Khan

-        Anand Vihar

-        New Ashok Nagar

-        Sahibabad

-        Mohan Nagar

-        Ghaziabad

-        Guldhar

-        Duhai

-        Muradnagar

-        Modi Nagar

-        Meerut South

-        Shatabdi Nagar

-        HRS Chowk

-        Begumpul

-        Meerut North

-        Modipuram

-        Nauchandi

-        Shastri Nagar

Multiple routes 

The Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut corridor is planned for multi-modal integration at Sarai Kale Khan, Anand Vihar and Sahibabad, where commuters can interchange for other transport modes like the Metro. The pre-construction work will start soon on the Delhi-Meerut section and the project's offices will be set up at various points along the stretch. Apart from this, work on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway is also underway and would be operational in near future.