50% of rapid rail stretch on Delhi-Meerut corridor ready

Ghaziabad: Trains on the country’s first Namo Bharat (rapid rail) corridor will soon run from Sahibabad to Meerut South.The commissioner of metro rail safety (CMRS) has cleared the third section of the corridor – after Sahibabad-Duhai and Duhai-Modinagar North – for commercial operations. This 8km section from Modinagar North to Meerut South will increase the span of train operations to 42km, taking it above the 50% mark of the 80km Delhi-Meerut corridor, which has a completion date of mid-2025.

“The section will cut the travel time from Sahibabad to Meerut South to nearly 30 minutes. State and central govts have been told that work on the 8km section has been completed. A decision on its inauguration is likely soon,” an NCRTC official said.Meerut South will be the district’s first station on the rapid rail corridor which will also have metro services. Of the 13 stations of the Namo Bharat corridor in Meerut, four are for rapid rail and nine others are part of the local metro corridor.The NCRTC has developed the state’s largest parking facility — spread over 13,000 sqm to accommodate 1,200 vehicles at a time — at the station.Students have benefitted the most after the rapid rail corridor became operational.Sonal Singh, a student at MMH College in Ghaziabad and a resident of Partapur, said, “The rapid rail starting operations to Meerut soon is good news for us. Ghaziabad and Meerut are industrial and educational hubs but had limited commuting options before the rapid rail. The rapid rail has changed a lot for students like us, and I just hope that in the days ahead, it will reach our doorsteps.”Vipin Rathi, a resident of Meerut who commutes to Delhi for work, meanwhile said his travel time from Meerut to Delhi’s Patparganj has reduced significantly after the rapid rail operation commenced up to the Ghaziabad-Meerut border. “Earlier, I used to take a private vehicle to reach my workplace, but over the past few months, I park my bike at Modinagar South parking and take the rapid rail. If the corridor is operational up to Meerut South, it will further reduce the commuting time, not to mention that it will be a hassle-free ride.”

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