National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC), a body making regional transport in and around NCR is constructing India’s first Rapid Rail Transit System on the Delhi-Meerut corridor. Called the Delhi-Meerut RRTS, the urban rail transport system will span at a length of 82.15 km. The under-construction semi-high speed rail line is where trains will pass through a series of tunnels and elevated viaducts at a speed of 160 km/hr, while the maximum speed is rated at 180 kmph. The priority section is expected to be inaugurated by mid-2023 and will connect Sahibabad-Duhai section spanning over 11 km via 4 elevated stations.
The NCRTC is also planning to prioritize RRTS across two other corridors namely Delhi-Gurugram-Rewari-Alwar route that will span to around 180 km, while Delhi-Sonepat-Panipat route will span around 111 km. Much like suburban railway networks in Europe, the Indian urban rail network will boast of modern trains with wi-fi, AC, among other features.
Delhi-Alwar RRTS Corridor
NCRTC aims to connect Delhi will adjoining Tier 1 cities for travellers who are dependent on either road transport or regular train network which is slow for daily commuters. While the first RRTS corridor connects NCR with Uttar Pradesh, the second one aims to connect NCR with Alwar in Rajasthan. The initial plan is to connect Delhi with Alwar using high-speed train, but reports suggest Rajasthan govt has shown interest in extending the RRTS corridor till Jaipur, a major tourism hub in India. The RRTS corridor will cover Gurgaon in Haryana to reach Jaipur.
Delhi-Panipat RRTS Corridor
Another state bordering the NCT of Delhi is Haryana and RRTS corridor aims to reach Panipat in Haryana, which is only 100 km from here. Like Rajasthan govt, Haryana govt has proposed to extend the Delhi-Panipat leg of the RRTS till Karnal. The route further goes to Chandigarh and can be further extended till the UT of Chandigarh.