RRTS: Ghaziabad-Meerut corridor likely to be ready in next six months

The National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) has announced that the 25km stretch from Duhai to Meerut (South) will be the second stretch of the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) project to open for passenger operations. The stretch is expected to be ready in the next six months. The RRTS project aims to link Delhi, Ghaziabad, and Meerut, and is estimated to have a daily ridership of 800,000 passengers when the entire 82km corridor opens in March 2025.

The National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC), agency, which is developing the 82km long Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) project, said on Saturday that the 25km long stretch from Duhai in Ghaziabad to Meerut (South) will be the second stretch to open for passenger operations, with sources adding that the stretch will likely be ready in the next six months.

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The NCRTC has already developed a 17km priority section in Ghaziabad, from Sahibabad and Duhai Depot, but it is yet to be inaugurated.

“The work on the RRTS project is progressing fast and under the second phase, we are focussing on Duhai to Meerut (South) corridor. This will be the second stretch to open for passenger operations,” said Puneet Vats, chief public relations officer, NCRTC.

The 25km stretch from Duhai to Meerut (South) has stations at Muradnagar, Modinagar (South) and Modinagar (North) in Ghaziabad while the Meerut (South) station will be under jurisdiction of Meerut district.

The RRTS project is being built at a cost of ₹30,274 crore to link the three cities of Delhi, Ghaziabad and Meerut and is expected to garner a ridership of about 800,000 passengers daily when the entire 82km corridor opens in March 2025.

Sources in the NCRTC said the 25km section from Duhai to Meerut (South) is likely to be completed within the next six months, including trial runs on the section. Speculation is rife that the 17km priority section and the 25km section to Meerut may be inaugurated together before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The viaduct for the 25km stretch is already complete and track laying work on more than half the stretch is already complete, said NCRTC officials.

NCRTC managing director Vinay Kumar Singh also inspected the progress of work on the 25km stretch on Friday.

“Once the 25km stretch is ready, RapidX trains will operate from the Duhai Depot in Ghaziabad. The trains will operate from there till the work on another depot in Modipuram, Meerut, is complete. There is another depot proposed at Jungpura in Delhi but it will serve only as a stabling yard for trains and not as a maintenance depot. The work on stations is also progressing fast on the 25km stretch,” Vats said.

Officials said after the work on the 25km stretch is complete, focus will shift to the stretch in Delhi and thereafter the final stage in Meerut, where there is also a provision to run a local metro module attached to the project.

The project is elevated for about 70km while the rest is underground in the Delhi-Ghaziabad stretch and also in Meerut, said NCRTC.