NEW DELHI (Metro Rail News): The ambitious Delhi-Meerut RRTS corridor project has cost Rs 11,440 crore, the government informed Rajya Sabha on December 19.
The Delhi-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) project is being carried out by the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC).
In reply to a question in the Upper House, Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Kaushal Kishore said the total sanctioned cost of the project is Rs 30,274 crore. However, as of November 30, 2022, he said the balance fund with NCRTC for implementing the project is Rs 1,084.10 crore.
According to the minister, the project is being funded by the Centre, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi governments, and other agencies — the Asian Development Bank, New Development Bank and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.
Kishore said that as per NCRTC, various static and dynamic tests are in progress according to the schedule for commissioning the priority section (between Duhai to Sahibabad) of the Delhi-Meerut RRTS corridor.
It is intended that the entire Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS will be operational by 2025.
Last month, a senior NCRTC official had said trial runs on the main line for the operationalisation of the 17-km Duhai-Sahibabad priority section would begin in December.
The priority section has four stations — Sahibabad, Ghaziabad, Guldhar and Duhai. It is expected to be operationalised by March next year, NCRTC’s managing director Vinay Kumar Singh said last month.
The RRTS corridor would reduce travel time to just 55 minutes between Delhi and Meerut from three to four hours by road. In addition, most trains running along the RRTS line will have six coaches—five standard-class and one premium-class coach.
