RRTS Project: Namo Bharat’s first station in Meerut opens today

Commuters using the 34-km Namo Bharat train route between Sahibabad and Modinagar (north) will now be able to travel a longer distance to reach the doorsteps of Meerut district with the opening of the new station on Sunday.

The NCR Transport Corporation (NCRTC), which is implementing the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) project, has decided to open Meerut (South) railway station for commuters from August 18, officials said on Saturday, adding that this will extend the already operational line by another eight kilometres.

The proposed 82 km RRTS project involves operation of Namo Bharat trains connecting the three cities of Delhi, Ghaziabad and Meerut. A 34 km section with eight stations in Ghaziabad is already operational. The latest addition would be the ninth station.

“The Meerut (South) RRTS station will be opened for passenger traffic from 2 pm on August 18. With the addition of this 8 km section, a total of 42 km of the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor is now operational, including nine stations from Sahibabad in Ghaziabad to Meerut South in Meerut,” the NCRTC said in a statement on Saturday.

Officials said the maximum fare from Sahibabad to Meerut (south) – the 42 km stretch – ₹110 for passengers travelling in the standard carriage of the Namo Bharat train, while ₹220 between the two stations if a passenger travels in a premium coach.

The 34 km long RRTS section is operational in Ghaziabad with eight stations at Sahibabad, Ghaziabad, Guldhar, Duhai, Duhai Depot, Muradnagar, Modinagar (South) and Modinagar (North).

Part of this section, a 17 km priority section, was given safety approval in June 2023. However, it was not opened to the public until October 2023, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the first train from Sahibabad.

The second, 17-kilometer-long section with the three stations Muradnagar, Modinagar (south) and Modinagar (north) was again inaugurated and put into operation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi via video conference in March this year.

The opening of Meerut (South) railway station was originally planned with the second 17 km long RRTS section, but some pending works delayed the opening.

The eight-km section from Modinagar (north) to Meerut (south) received safety clearance in June. “Now the focus is on opening sections in Delhi,” said an NCRTC spokesperson.

Meerut (South) railway station is important as it will bring Namo Bharat trains to the doorstep of Meerut and could attract more passengers.

Meerut (South) railway station will have a ground floor, mezzanine floor, concourse and platform floor. Officials also said that Meerut (South) railway station will have the largest parking facility in Uttar Pradesh on the RRTS corridor where around 1,200 vehicles can be parked at a time and charging facilities for electric vehicles will also be available.

The station will have two parking lots at both entrances on either side of Delhi Meerut Road.