Budget allocates ₹3,596 crore for country’s first RRTS project

The 82km-long project will connect the three cities of Delhi, Ghaziabad and Meerut with high-speed RRTS with a design speed of 180kmph.

The Union Budget on Wednesday allocated ₹3,596 crore for the country’s first Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) project, which is pegged at ₹30,274 crore and scheduled to be fully functional by March 2025.

According to officials, about 45km of construction work for the elevated section of the project is complete. (Sakib Ali/HT PHOTO)

The 82km-long project will connect the three cities of Delhi, Ghaziabad and Meerut with high-speed RRTS with a design speed of 180kmph.

“The Centre has allocated ₹3,596 crore for the RRTS project. Work is progressing fast and about 45km of construction work for the elevated section is complete,” said Puneet Vats, chief public relations officer, National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC), the agency that is executing the project.

The project is also being financed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The ADB in August 2020 approved a $1 billion loan.

The RRTS corridor will have 25 stations. A 17km priority section in Ghaziabad (Sahibabad to Duhai) will be the first RRTS stretch in the country and will be operational by March 2023.

NCRTC officials said more than 14,000 workers and 1,100 engineers are presently deployed at various RRTS sites.