Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the much-awaited Namo Bharat Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) and Meerut Metro on Sunday afternoon, February 22. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was present with him during the inauguration ceremony.
The project aims to enable faster connectivity between Delhi and Meerut and make the national capital accessible to people from neighboring areas as well.
Prime Minister Modi announced the project from Shatabdi Nagar Namo Bharat station.
Prime Minister Modi then toured the newly launched Meerut Metro up to Meerut South station and interacted with school children and officials. Later, he will also inaugurate and gift the country many valuable development projects $12,930 crore in Meerut.
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The Prime Minister dedicated the entire Delhi-Meerut Namo Bharat corridor to the nation and also inaugurated the remaining sections of India’s first Namo Bharat Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS). These include the 5-km section between Sarai Kale Khan and New Ashok Nagar in Delhi and the 21-km section between Meerut South and Modipuram in Uttar Pradesh.
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About the project
The project consists of Namo Bharat RRTS and Meerut Metro, with an estimated cost $30,274 crore and extends around 82.15 km, including nearly 70 km of elevated track and 12 km underground.
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Until now, express rail services were operating only between Ashok Vihar and Meerut South. With this launch, trains will now run from Modipuram to Sarai Kale Khan covering a distance of approximately 82 km in just 55 minutes.
The full trip fare is set at approx $213, calculated at $2.60 per km.
The event also marks the start of metro services in Meerut for the first time, a major step in modernizing the city’s urban transport system.
(With inputs from Hizb ut Tahrir correspondent)
