Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinod Kumar Saxena flag off the Namo Bharat Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) at Sarai Kale Khan Namo Bharat Metro Station on Sunday.

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Speaking to the media at the inauguration of the Sarai Kale Khan station on the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Rapid Rail Transit System (RRTS), Khattar hailed the completion of the country's first Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) route, saying it's a "matter of great joy" as the Delhi-Meerut route is now operational. The RRTS has significantly reduced travel time between Delhi and Meerut, cutting it down to 55 minutes from three hours by road.

"It is a matter of great joy that the route for the country's first RRTS has been finalised. The Prime Minister inaugurated it in two phases, from Delhi to Meerut. Today, after inaugurating the final phase, the third phase, this first RRTS route, from Delhi to Meerut, is now complete. This route will greatly benefit the people of Delhi, Meerut, and everyone living in between. Where once it took three hours by road, it now takes just 55 minutes, and any passenger can board a train from Delhi to Meerut, and from Meerut to Delhi," Khattar said.

Delhi Metro Network Becomes World's Longest

Khattar thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for inaugurating the project and dedicated it to the public. The Meerut metro portion will start regular operations from 6 pm onwards. The RRTS has added 25 km to Delhi's metro network, taking the total length to 420 km, surpassing New York's 399 km and making Delhi's metro route the longest in the world.

"I thank the Prime Minister for inaugurating this portion of the metro, the RRTS, and dedicating it to the public. The metro portion of Meerut will start running regularly from 6 pm onwards. Today, with the addition of the RRTS and the metro, Delhi's network has now added another 25 km. This translates to around 420 km. Considering the length of the metro route, this DMRC route has become the longest in the world. Until now, New York's metro route was 399 km, which Delhi has surpassed today to reach 420 km. I congratulate the DMRC for completing this task," Khattar added.

PM Modi Inaugurates Project

Earlier, PM Modi flagged off the Meerut Metro and the Namo Bharat Train at Shatabdi Nagar Namo Bharat Station. From there, the Prime Minister undertook the Metro Ride to Meerut South Station, where he interacted with students. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, UP BJP President and Union Minister Pankaj Chaudhary, along with officials, accompanied the Prime Minister.

Project Details and Corridor Sections

PM Modi also inaugurated and dedicated to the nation various development projects worth around Rs 12,930 crore in Meerut. The Prime Minister dedicated the entire 82 Km Delhi-Meerut Namo Bharat Corridor. He inaugurated the remaining sections of India's first Namo Bharat Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS). These include the 5 km section between Sarai Kale Khan and New Ashok Nagar in Delhi and the 21 km section between Meerut South and Modipuram in Uttar Pradesh.

Namo Bharat: India's First RRTS

With a design speed of 180 km per hour, Namo Bharat is India's first Regional Rapid Transit System. It will connect major urban centres such as Sahibabad, Ghaziabad, Modinagar and Meerut with Delhi at a faster pace. (ANI)