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Commuters travelling to NCR towns can expect a smooth and air-conditioned ride in the near future, with the Delhi government finally giving the go-ahead to the regional rapid transit system (RRTS) project connecting Delhi with Meerut, Alwar and Panipat.
The approval, which comes with a rider that the Delhi-Alwar corridor will terminate in Gurgaon, and not be integrated with the Airport line as suggested by Delhi Metro, is expected to give a boost to the concept of NCR. According to a survey conducted in 2007, over a crore vehicles travel through Delhi every day to reach these cities.
The earlier city government under Sheila Dikshit had been objecting to the entry of the RRTS inside the city limits, citing congestion issues. On Wednesday, LG Najeeb Jung gave the approval for the three corridors as envisaged by the National Capital Regional Planning Board (NCRPB). The alignment for the Delhi-Panipat (111km), Delhi-Alwar (180km) and Delhi-Meerut (90km) RRTS has already been finalized.
Delhi with NCR cities through high-speed trains, which would run at 60kmph. As part of the project, the four states involved — Delhi, Haryana, UP and Rajasthan — have agreed on the equity amount to be be contributed by each. Even the setting up of the Rs 100-crore corpus for NCRTC, a special purpose vehicle that would manage the project, has been given the go-ahead. Work on the three corridors, Delhi-Gurgaon-Alwar, Delhi-Sonepat-Panipat and Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut, was expected to start last year.
"With the high-speed corridors in place, the total cost benefit will be huge in terms of fuel, highway, pollution, capital and time saved. Delhi will benefit greatly, based on these factors," said the government official. The high-speed links are also expected to check migration into the capital.
The approval, which comes with a rider that the Delhi-Alwar corridor will terminate in Gurgaon, and not be integrated with the Airport line as suggested by Delhi Metro, is expected to give a boost to the concept of NCR. According to a survey conducted in 2007, over a crore vehicles travel through Delhi every day to reach these cities.
The earlier city government under Sheila Dikshit had been objecting to the entry of the RRTS inside the city limits, citing congestion issues. On Wednesday, LG Najeeb Jung gave the approval for the three corridors as envisaged by the National Capital Regional Planning Board (NCRPB). The alignment for the Delhi-Panipat (111km), Delhi-Alwar (180km) and Delhi-Meerut (90km) RRTS has already been finalized.
Delhi with NCR cities through high-speed trains, which would run at 60kmph. As part of the project, the four states involved — Delhi, Haryana, UP and Rajasthan — have agreed on the equity amount to be be contributed by each. Even the setting up of the Rs 100-crore corpus for NCRTC, a special purpose vehicle that would manage the project, has been given the go-ahead. Work on the three corridors, Delhi-Gurgaon-Alwar, Delhi-Sonepat-Panipat and Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut, was expected to start last year.
"With the high-speed corridors in place, the total cost benefit will be huge in terms of fuel, highway, pollution, capital and time saved. Delhi will benefit greatly, based on these factors," said the government official. The high-speed links are also expected to check migration into the capital.