PM launches India's First Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh

• 23 Oct 2023

Why In News?

On October 20, 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the priority section of the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor at Sahibabad RapidX station in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh and launched India's first Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS). The 'Namo Bharat' RapidX train connecting the depot was also flagged off.

Key Points:

• Along with this, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also dedicated two lines of the East-West corridor of Bangalore Metro to the nation. The Prime Minister also traveled in the regional rapid train 'Namo Bharat'.
• On this occasion, the Prime Minister said that the newly inaugurated Namo Bharat train is 'Made in India'. The support staff and locomotive pilots in Namo Bharat trains are all women.
• Prime Minister Modi said that to improve connectivity and create new employment opportunities, a similar system will be prepared in other parts of the country in the coming days.
• He said that this trinity of 'Amrit Bharat', 'Vande Bharat' and 'Namo Bharat' will become a symbol of modernization of Indian Railways by the end of this decade.
• Highlighting multi-modal connectivity, the Prime Minister said that Delhi's Sarai Kale Khan, Anand Vihar, Ghaziabad and Meerut bus stations, metro stations and railway stations are being connected to the Namo Bharat system.
• Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor
  • The 17 km long priority section of the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor will connect Sahibabad with 'Duhai Depot' along with Ghaziabad, Guldhar and Duhai stations. The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut corridor on March 8, 2019.
  • In line with the Prime Minister's vision of transforming regional connectivity in the country through the creation of new world-class transport infrastructure, the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) project is being developed.
  • RRTS is a new rail-based, semi-high speed, high frequency computer transit system. 180 km. With speeds of up to one per hour, the RRTS is a transformative, regional development initiative designed to provide high-speed trains for intercity commutes every 15 minutes, moving up to a frequency of every 5 minutes as required.
  • A total of eight RRTS corridors have been identified to be developed in the National Capital Region (NCR), out of which three corridors have been given priority for implementation in Phase-I, which include Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut corridor, Delhi-Gurugram- SNB-Alwar corridor and Delhi-Panipat corridor are included.
  • The Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS is being built at a cost of over Rs 30,000 crore and will connect Delhi to Meerut in less than an hour, passing through the urban centers of Ghaziabad, Muradnagar and Modinagar.
  • The indigenously developed RRTS is a state-of-the-art regional mobility solution and can be at par with the best in the world. It will provide safe, reliable and modern transportation facilities from one city to another in the country. In line with the PM Gatishakti National Master Plan, the RRTS network will have extensive multi-modal integration with railway stations, metro stations, bus services, etc.
  • Such transformative regional mobility solutions will boost economic activity in the region, provide better access to employment, education and health care opportunities and help significantly reduce vehicular congestion and air pollution.