Plans afoot to extend RRTS from Meerut to Muzaffarnagar

A 17km priority section of the RRTS in Ghaziabad is currently operational and trial runs are underway on a 25km route from Ghaziabad to Meerut (south)

Discussions are underway to extend the Rapid Rail Transit System (RRTS) project to Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh, once the 82km network between Delhi, Ghaziabad and Meerut gets completed, officials in the know of the development said on Thursday.

Officials of the NCR planning cell have been asked to conduct a feasibility study of extending the 82km long RRTS project up to Muzaffarnagar. It is presently scheduled to end in Meerut, said officials. (Shakib Ali/HT Photo)

According to the officials of the National Capital Region (NCR) planning and monitoring cell, a coordination cell of the NCR planning board, a memorandum to extend the operation of the 82km route from Meerut to Muzaffarnagar was forwarded to the cell by residents of Muzaffarnagar and it has been forwarded to the state government.

“The state government has given its nod for a feasibility study of the route. The NCR planning board has also not rejected the idea. We are yet to select an agency that will prepare a feasibility report but the proposal is on,” said SC Gaur, chief coordinator of the cell.

The present 82km under-construction RRTS network starts from Sarai Kale Khan in Delhi and ends in Modipuram in Meerut. From there, the Muzaffarnagar district is about 57km away, on the route to Haridwar in Uttarakhand.

The officials of the NCR transport corporation, the agency executing the RRTS project, said the Namo Bharat trains of the RRTS project, having a design speed of 180km/hour, have been projected as regional trains.

“Under the proposed routes, we have one route up to Alwar which is about 160km from Delhi. So, the RRTS trains can easily reach such distances and also have range beyond such distances. So, the extension up to Muzaffarnagar is very feasible. The arrangement of seats, facilities and electricity driven trains can easily serve the purpose of connecting regional cities in the future,” said a spokesperson from NCRTC.

For the RRTS project, agencies initially proposed corridors Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut, Delhi-Alwar, Delhi-Panipat, Delhi-Palwal, Delhi-Khurja, Delhi-Rohtak, Delhi-Hapur and Delhi-Baraut, officials said, adding that they prioritised the first three corridors under Phase 1 of the RRTS project and the remaining five were identified under the functional plan on transport for National Capital Region, 2032.

Presently, the NCRTC is also working to prepare a detailed project report of linking Ghaziabad RRTS station to upcoming Noida international airport in Jewar.

A 17km priority section of the RRTS in Ghaziabad is presently operational and trial runs are underway on a 25km route from Ghaziabad to Meerut (south). The entire 82km RRTS project is scheduled to be completed by June 2025.