NCR’s Second RRTS Line To Panipat Set For Fast-Tracking Under BJP-Led Governments

The long-awaited development of the National Capital Region’s (NCR) second Rapid Rail Transit System (RRTS) corridor—connecting Delhi to Panipat and Karnal—is expected to gain momentum, now that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) holds power in Delhi and all three other NCR states: Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan.

The Delhi administration, in collaboration with the Haryana and central governments, has initiated efforts to fast-track the project, which aims to enhance connectivity between the two states, officials confirmed.

As part of its manifesto for Delhi, the BJP pledged to expedite both planned RRTS corridors in Phase I—linking Delhi to Gurugram-Alwar and Delhi to Panipat-Karnal. Additionally, the Union Ministry of Commerce has identified the Delhi-Panipat-Karnal corridor as one of four key infrastructure projects under the PM Gati Shakti scheme.

“This corridor is a crucial part of Phase I, aimed at improving regional connectivity and making travel faster and more reliable. The Detailed Project Report (DPR) has been submitted and approved by the states, and we are now awaiting final government approval,” said Puneet Vats, spokesperson for the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC), as reported by Hindustan Times.

The project is being jointly funded by multilateral institutions and the central and state governments, with financial contributions proportional to the infrastructure developed within each state’s jurisdiction.

In the first phase of the project, three corridors, namely, Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut, Delhi-SNB-Alwar and Delhi-Panipat are under implementation.

The National Capital Region Transport Corporation, which works under the administrative control of Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) and is executing the RRTS project is a joint venture of the Government of India (50 per cent) and state governments of Haryana (12.5 per cent), NCT Delhi (12.5 per cent), Uttar Pradesh (12.5 per cent) and Rajasthan (12.5 per cent).

The 136-km Delhi-Panipat-Karnal corridor will feature 21 stations, starting from Sarai Kale Khan in Delhi and extending to the new ISBT in Karnal. Once operational, the corridor is expected to halve travel time, reducing the Delhi-Karnal journey from 180 minutes to just 90 minutes.

Once approved, construction is expected to take approximately six years, based on the timeline of the first RRTS line connecting Delhi to Ghaziabad and Meerut. The next phase will involve land acquisition, though most of the alignment follows government-owned land, minimizing delays.