Prime Minister Narendra Modi today flagged off ‘Namo Bharat’, India’s first semi-high speed regional rail service in Uttar Pradesh. The Prime Minister inaugurated the ‘Namo Bharat’ train connecting Sahibabad and Duhai Depot stations in Uttar Pradesh.
He also flagged off the RapidX train connecting Sahibabad to Duhai Depot, marking the launch of the Regional Rapid Transit System in India. Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Thursday announced that RRTS trains will be known as ‘Namo Bharat’.
The 17-km priority section of the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS Corridor is scheduled to be opened for passengers on October 21 (Saturday).
“The priority corridor of the RRTS project related to the aspirations of crores of people is ready to get on track. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate it to the nation on October 20. The Regional Rapid Transit System of the country will be known as ‘Namo Bharat’,” said Puri in a social media post.
The National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC), in April, had named RRTS trains as ‘RAPIDX’. NCRTC is implementing India’s first semi-high-speed regional rail service project. The RRTS is a new rail-based, semi-high-speed, high-frequency commuter transit system with a design speed of 180 kmph.
The Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS, with a total project cost exceeding INR 30,000 crore, will bridge the gap between Delhi and Meerut in less than an hour, traversing the urban centres of Ghaziabad, Muradnagar, and Modinagar.
The foundation stone for the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut corridor was laid by Prime Minister Modi on March 8, 2019.
In line with his vision to transform regional connectivity in the country through construction of new world-class transport infrastructure, the RRTS project is being developed, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) had said in a statement on Wednesday.
German Ambassador to India, Philipp Ackermann, who was present at the launch venue, has reportedly said, “I am very honoured and privileged to be here today.It is a fabulous project, the fastest train in India so far. It’s a shuttle train that comes under NCRTC from Meerut to Delhi. It runs at a speed of 160 km/hr. It is run and operated by a German rail company Deutsche Bahn.”
