On February 22, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Delhi–Meerut corridor, the country’s first regional rapid transit system, known as the Namo Bharat train.
The Delhi–Meerut corridor is also connected to the Meerut Metro network, which was inaugurated on the same day, offering passengers connections between urban and intercity transport, with the two systems sharing some of the lines and stations.
The two networks are part of a “Twin Cities” vision promoted by India, which aims to quickly and efficiently connect neighboring urban centers, reduce traffic congestion, stimulate regional economic development, and create sustainable mobility for millions of commuters.
The new rapid rail corridor and metro network in Meerut “offer a magnificent glimpse of what connectivity will look like in a developed India. This is an integrated public transport system that uses the metro for intra-city travel and Namo Bharat trains to accelerate the implementation of the twin cities vision,” said Narendra Modi.
The Delhi-Meerut corridor is 82 km long and has 16 stations, crossing one of the most densely populated areas of the National Capital Region, connecting Delhi to the state of Uttar Pradesh. This corridor is beneficial for the development of the region and helps connect a large number of localities and economic activity centers already planned along this route.
The new rail connection is operated by Alstom trains under a contract signed in 2020 for the delivery of 30 six-car trains (180 cars in total), which also included the delivery of 10 three-car trains for the metro system.
Eight regional rapid corridors
The Delhi–Meerut corridor via Ghaziabad is one of eight regional rapid rail corridors that India plans to develop as part of a multimodal transport system for the National Capital Region (NCR) of Delhi. It has been included in the NCR 2032 Integrated Transport Plan, with a special focus on Namo Bharat trains connecting regional centers.
The first phase of this plan involves the development of two more corridors: Delhi–Panipat and Delhi–Alwar, which, together with the one already inaugurated, are designed for speeds of 10 km/h, with an operational speed of 160 km/h. Trains run every 15 minutes and provide last-mile connectivity.
The authorities have developed a strategy to build a regional rapid rail system that will consist of five additional corridors in the future:
- Delhi – Faridabad – Ballabgarh – Palwal;
- Ghaziabad – Khurja;
- Delhi – Bahadurgarh – Rohtak;
- Ghaziabad – Hapur;
- Delhi – Shahadra – Baraut.
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