Delhi-Meerut travel now in 40 minutes, via RRTS; Metro Phase-4 kicks off

PM Modi also inaugurates Delhi Metro's Phase-IV stretch

Ahead of the crucial Assembly elections in the national capital, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated two major infrastructure projects for Delhi — direct connectivity between Delhi and Meerut with the New Ashok Nagar-Sahibabad stretch of the Namo Bharat service and extension of Delhi Metro’s Magenta Line.

 

The operationalisation of services on two stations (a 12-kilometre stretch) on the Delhi-Meerut corridor – Anand Vihar and New Ashok Nagar – is estimated to cost around Rs 4,600 crore, among other infrastructure projects.

 

With this addition, Namo Bharat trains will arrive in Delhi, reducing travel time between New Ashok Nagar and Meerut South to under 40 minutes. Of the newly inaugurated 13 km section, 6 km is underground and includes a prominent station on the corridor, Anand Vihar.

 

 

“This marks the first time that Namo Bharat trains will operate in an underground section. The other station on this stretch is an elevated station at New Ashok Nagar,” said the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC), the central government arm responsible for the execution of the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS).

 

This particular stretch is expected to be crucial for the operations of the RRTS service. Passenger traffic since the initial inauguration has been limited, with NCRTC stating that around 5 million passengers have used the services in the 14 months since its launch in October 2023.

 

For context, Delhi Metro (though not a like-for-like comparison) sees a ridership of around 6–7 million passengers daily.

 

Several Meerut-Delhi commuters had earlier said the partial opening and lack of direct connectivity to Delhi meant they continued to rely on road transport or railways for their daily commuting needs. However, they expect this to change now that the inter-city semi-high-speed rail service is connected to the capital.

 

More traffic is expected by June this year, when the service will be fully connected to the heart of the city with its extension to Sarai Kale Khan. The entire project, costing Rs 30,000 crore, is expected by NCRTC to handle a daily ridership of 800,000 once the corridor between Sarai Kale Khan and Meerut is completed in 2025, reducing travel time between the two cities to less than an hour.

 

The train, manufactured by French rail giant Alstom, can travel at speeds of up to 160 kilometres per hour, with a design speed of 180 kmph. With this, the operational stretch of the Namo Bharat Corridor expands to 55 km, featuring a total of 11 stations.

 

Metro Phase-4 kicks off 

Modi also inaugurated the first operational section of Delhi Metro’s Phase-IV, which had faced delays due to Covid-19, an exception for the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) known for its timely project execution.

 

He inaugurated the 2.8 km stretch between Janakpuri West and Krishna Park Extension on Delhi Metro’s Magenta Line, worth around Rs 1,200 crore.

 

Train services between Janakpuri West and Krishna Park Extension will operate at a frequency of 16 minutes initially, with services on the extended section beginning at 3 pm on Sunday, according to DMRC.

 

“The rest of the Magenta Line extension from Krishna Park Extension till RK Ashram Marg will be completed by 2026 in phases. Work is in progress for the remaining corridor as well,” DMRC said.

 

During a public address in Delhi’s Rohini, Modi said that before 2014, India’s metro network was only 248 kms and was limited to just five cities. In the past ten years, over 752 kilometers of new metro lines have been inaugurated in India. He added that metro services now operate in 21 cities across the country, with over 1,000 kms of routes currently under rapid development.

 

The PM claimed that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led government has been an “Aapda” (disaster), with the people of the capital continuing to face infrastructure gaps, polluted air, and inadequate housing, while the central government has executed numerous transformative projects for the city.

 

In response, former chief minister and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal said the PM offered no vision for the people of Delhi.

 

“Today, the PM spoke for 38 minutes, and he kept abusing the people of Delhi and the elected government for 29 minutes. I was listening to it, and it felt bad,” Kejriwal said.

 

The AAP leader said the party chose governance over petty politics despite its top leaders being jailed by the central government. “If we had taken the injustices done to us to heart, this Delhi Metro line would not have been built, and its inauguration would not have happened today,” Kejriwal said.