82-km Delhi-Meerut RRTS corridor to be ready by June end as last leg of project in final stage

New Delhi: By the end of June, people can travel to Modipuram in UP's Meerut in just 45 minutes from Sarai Kale Khan in Delhi as the final phase of India's first Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) corridor is nearly complete, officials said on Tuesday.

The 82-kilometre-long corridor, known as the Namo Bharat corridor, is being implemented by the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) as a high-speed regional connectivity project.

Of the total length, a 55-kilometre stretch with 11 stations is already operational, while work on the remaining 27-kilometre portion is progressing rapidly, said an official of NCRTC.

Work on a two-km extension from Sarai Kale Khan to Jangpura is still underway.

Since the launch of services on the 17-km priority section on October 21, 2023, the corridor has steadily expanded its reach. In Delhi, the segment between Sahibabad and New Ashok Nagar was inaugurated on January 5.

According to NCRTC, Namo Bharat trains have already served over one crore commuters, the official said.

The official said that to support last-mile connectivity, NCRTC has partnered with the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) and other mobility service providers.

Some operators also offer discounts to Namo Bharat commuters, the official said.

Fare for the Namo Bharat train journey from New Ashok Nagar (Delhi) to Meerut South is Rs 150 for standard class and Rs 180 for premium class. From Anand Vihar to Meerut South, the standard fare is Rs 130 and the premium is Rs 156.

Trial runs are already underway on two key remaining stretches — a 4.5-km elevated segment between Sarai Kale Khan and New Ashok Nagar in Delhi and a 23-km section between Meerut South and Modipuram in Meerut, the official said.

Trains can be seen traversing the full length of the corridor as part of ongoing operational testing, the official added.

The Sarai Kale Khan station, the corridor's originating point in Delhi, is nearly ready. It has 12 escalators, four lifts and Platform Screen Doors (PSDs). Five entry-exit points have been constructed, and related infrastructure is ready for operations, she said.

The official said that in Meerut, the final leg of the corridor features three additional stations — Shatabdi Nagar, Begumpul and Modipuram. Shatabdi Nagar is an elevated station, where tracks, platform screen doors and other systems have already been installed.

Begumpul, a major underground station in the heart of Meerut's market area, will serve both Namo Bharat trains and local metro services, the official said. The work is nearly complete.

Modipuram, the last station of the corridor, is located along the national highway and will include a Foot Over Bridge (FOB) to facilitate safe pedestrian access. Also, the NCRTC, for the first time in the world, has also deployed the European Train Control System (ETCS) Level-2 over an LTE backbone, according to the official.

The official said the ETCS is integrated with Automatic Train Protection (ATP), Automatic Train Supervision (ATS), and Platform Screen Doors (PSD), ensuring optimal safety and efficiency.

The official further explained that ATP safeguards speed and signal compliance, while ATS manages schedule adherence and operational stability. Keeping the commuter safety on priority, PSDs are also integrated with ETCS.

Additonally, the trial runs have also begun on the Meerut Metro — a 23-km-long local service that will operate on the same infrastructure as the Namo Bharat trains.

"This marks the first time in India that metro and regional services will share a common corridor. The Meerut Metro line includes 13 stations, of which three are underground," the official said.