Union cabinet approves Rs.30274 crores Delhi-Meerut RRTS project

New Delhi (Urban Transport News): The Central Government has approved the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) project between Delhi and Meerut (Delhi-Meerut RRTS) to develop the fast traffic facility in the National Capital Region. Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday said that the first RRTS project of the country, which cost Rs.30,274 crores, was approved in the Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He said that through this project to be implemented by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development Affairs, in the NCR region from Delhi to Ghaziabad, the journey of more than 80 km between Meerut can be completed in about an hour after the beginning of rapid rail service. The total length of the Delhi-Meerut RRTS corridor will be 82.15 km. There will be 12 stations in this route. He said that it will take six years to complete this project. With the introduction of accelerated traffic facility in the NCR region, housing and other development works will increase in the areas linked to it.

Jaitley said that the total cost of this project will be Rs. 30274 crores. To implement the project, the central government will provide Rs.5,634 crores. It is worth mentioning that the Delhi-Meerut RRTS will collect 40% of the total cost of the project (about Rs.17,000 crores) as a soft loan. While the share of Uttar Pradesh government is Rs.4,726 crores and the Delhi government's share will be around Rs.1,100 crores. The RRTS project, which will be completed in three phases, will be implemented by the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) constituted under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development Affairs.

It is notable that in the first phase of the project Delhi-Meerut RRTS project will be started. In the second phase, RRTS will be started between Delhi-Gururgram-Alwar and between Delhi-Palwal in the third phase. Jaitley said that the Cabinet also approved phase II projects of Ahmedabad Metro related to urban development.