UP govt gives Rs 100 cr boost to Delhi-Meerut high-speed rail corridor

LUCKNOW: Giving a major monetary boost to the ongoing 82.15 km Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Rapid Rail Transit System (RRTS), Uttar Pradesh government sanctioned Rs 100 crore for the ambitious project encompassing the construction of a semi-high speed rail corridor that would cut Delhi–Meerut travel time by 1.5 hours. 

The travel time between Delhi and Meerut would be reduced to just 1 hour if the project becomes functional as scheduled by 2025. 

The state government had allocated Rs 900 crore for the project in 2020-21. 

In a communiqué sent to National Capital Regional Transport Corporation (NCRTC) Managing Director, principal secretary, housing and urban planning, Deepak Kumar said that the fresh budgetary allocation of Rs 100 crore would boost the construction quality.

The RRTS project, for the first time, will use state-of-the-art technology, including ETCS Level-2 signalling system -- a radio-based system in which trains send data to report exact position and direction. The tracks would be designed to sustain a speed of 180 km/hour and the rolling stock is being designed and manufactured under ‘Make in India’ initiative, at Savli, Gujarat.

Calling upon the NCRTC to meet the deadline, the state housing and urban development ministry assured the corporation of hassle-free availability of no-objection certificate and environmental clearance for the project. NCRTC has also been told to stick to the budgetary manual of state government while
implementing the project, officials of the urban planning department said.

The department has asked NCRTC to get technical approval from the designated authority before the project is set rolling. It would also be required to adhere to the detailed project report (DPR) approved by the Centre and state governments.