New Delhi: PM Narendra Modi will flag off the Meerut Metro and Namo Bharat trains at the Shatabdi Nagar Namo Bharat station in the town on Sunday. The PM will then take a metro ride to the Meerut South station. He is scheduled to then inaugurate and dedicate to the nation, development projects worth Rs 12,930 crore to the nation. The inauguration will take place at 1 pm.

The Prime Minister’s Office in a statement said that the PM will also address the gathering after inaugurating the projects.

The PM will inaugurate the entire 82 Km Delhi-Meerut Namo Bharat corridor, reported NDTV. He will also open the remaining sections of the Namo Bharat Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS). This will include a 5 kilometre stretch from Sarai Kale Khan and New Ashok Nagar in Delhi, and another from Meerut South to Modipuram in UP. The second stretch is 21 kilometres long.

Namo Bharat is India’s first regional rapid transport system. It can go up to a speed of 180 km per hour. The train will help connect some major urban centres, like Sahibabad, Ghaziabad, Modinagar and Meerut with Delhi. Travelling would be much faster on this route, following the inauguration of this network, said a statement.

Sarai Kale Khan, which is the originating station of the Nammo Bharat network, will be among the 4 stations to be commissioned with the inauguration on Sunday. This station in Delhi is strategically located and connects Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station, Delhi Metro’s pink line, Veer Haqeeqat Rai ISBT, and the ring road. The other stations of the Nammo Bharat network are, Shatabdi Nagar, Begumpul and Modipuram. These are in Meerut.

Apart from the Namo Bharat train, the PM will also inaugurate the Meerut Metro services, between Meerut South and Modipuram. This train will operate on the same infrastructure which has been built for the Namo Bharat. This is a first-of-its kind initiative in the country.

Meerut Metro will be India’s fastest metro, with a speed of 120 kmph. The entire route will be covered in just 30 minutes.

The integration of the 2 transport systems, the Meerut Metro and the Namo Bharat trains, on the same infrastructure is being done to promote swift intra-city movement. The government hopes that these trains will help decongest roads and eventually reduce pollution levels.