Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets staff as he took a ride in Namo Bharat Train from Sahibabad RRTS Station to New Ashok Nagar RRTS Station, in Sahibabad on Sunday.
| Photo Credit: ANI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a 13-km-long Rapid Rail Transit System (RRTS) section between New Ashok Nagar in Delhi and Sahibabad in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday.

The inauguration comes at a time when Delhi Assembly election is due in February and model code of conduct is likely to come into force in the coming days.

Commuters can now board the Namo Bharat train on the RRTS corridor from New Ashok Nagar to reach Meerut South or vice versa. According to the government, the nearly 58 km distance can be covered in under 40 minutes, reducing the travel time by about one-third. Until now, the last station of the Namo Bharat Train was Sahibabad.

Mr. Modi took a ride from Sahibabad to New Ashok Nagar RRTS Station and interacted with the co-passengers, including children.

“Today is a very important day for Delhi-NCR. Today, for the first time, the Namo Bharat train will enter the capital, and there will also be an opportunity to inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of many development projects, including the expansion of the Delhi Metro,” the Prime Minister said in a post on X.

From 5 p.m. on Sunday, Namo Bharat trains were available to the public at a 15-minute frequency. The fare from New Ashok Nagar to Meerut South is ₹150 for a standard coach and ₹225 for a premium coach.

The other two RRTS stations in Delhi — Sarai Kale Khan and Jangpura — are expected to be operational by April and May 2025, respectively.

In March 2019, Mr. Modi laid the foundation stone for the Delhi-Meerut RRTS corridor, a ₹30,000-crore project.

Other projects

The Prime Minister also inaugurated the 2.8 km stretch between Janakpuri and Krishna Park of Delhi Metro Phase-IV, the first stretch of Delhi Metro Phase-IV to be inaugurated. This will benefit areas of West Delhi, such as Krishna Park, parts of Vikaspuri, and Janakpuri.

Mr. Modi laid the foundation stone of the 26.5 km Rithala-Kundli section of Delhi Metro Phase IV. This corridor will connect Rithala in Delhi to Nathupur (Kundli) in Haryana, enhancing connectivity in the north-west parts of Delhi and Haryana.

He also laid the foundation stone for the new Central Ayurveda Research Institute at Rohini, which will be constructed at a cost of around ₹185 crore. The campus will provide state-of-the-art healthcare and medicine infrastructure, a statement said.

‘Joint venture’

Senior Aam Aadmi Party leader and Delhi Chief Minister Atishi said the projects inaugurated by the Prime Minister are not solely of the Centre but a joint venture of the Central and State governments.

“The RRTS, a joint venture of the Central, Delhi, U.P., and Haryana governments, is connecting the NCR region with Delhi. The Delhi government has also invested ₹1,260 crore in the RRTS line being built from Delhi to Meerut, as it will boost the economic development of Delhi,” she claimed.

About the Delhi Metro, Ms. Atishi said, “In this decade, 200 km of metro lines have been built, and another 250 km is under construction. The Delhi government has invested ₹7,268 crore in the Delhi Metro over these ten years. I am proud that Delhi is emerging as a model of public transport and sustainable public transportation for the country and the world.”