News Brief
Kuldeep Negi
May 03, 2025, 10:44 AM | Updated 10:44 AM IST
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The Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Namo Bharat Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) corridor has reached a major milestone with the commencement of trial runs up to Modipuram — the final station on the route towards Meerut.
As part of the latest trial phase, a Namo Bharat train operated between Shatabdi Nagar and Modipuram, traversing for the first time through Meerut’s underground section.
This development brings the rapid rail corridor a step closer to full operational readiness.
"NCRTC has started trial runs up to Modipuram, the last station (towards Meerut) of the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Namo Bharat corridor. During the trial run, the Namo Bharat train was operated between Shatabdi Nagar and Modipuram," the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) said in a statement.
"This marks the first time a Namo Bharat train has traversed through Meerut’s underground section — a significant milestone in connecting the city’s inner areas to Delhi through high-speed transit," it added.
The Delhi-Meerut RRTS corridor or Namo Bharat corridor, costing an estimated Rs 30,274 crore, stretches from Sarai Kale Khan in Delhi to Modipuram in Meerut and includes 24 stations.
Currently, 11 stations across a 55-km stretch from New Ashok Nagar to Meerut (South) are operational.
The high-speed Namo Bharat trains have already slashed the Delhi–Meerut travel time to 55 minutes.
In Delhi, trial runs began on 12 April between New Ashok Nagar and Sarai Kale Khan, covering three key stations — Sarai Kale Khan, Anand Vihar, and New Ashok Nagar. The Delhi section is expected to open by June.
In Ghaziabad, the RRTS is fully operational with eight stations, from Sahibabad to Modinagar (North), already in service.
The Meerut section spans 23 km and features 13 stations.
While four stations — Meerut (South), Shatabdi Nagar, Begumpul, and Modipuram — will be served by six-coach Namo Bharat trains, the entire stretch will also be covered by three-coach local metro trains running on the same tracks.
These metro services will operate at all 13 stations, including Partapur, Rithani, Bhrampuri, Bhaisali, and Modipuram Depot.
Trial runs on the initial 6-km elevated segment from Meerut (South) to Shatabdi Nagar have been ongoing since February.
The trial runs are now undergoing on the remaining 17-km stretch that includes a 5-km underground section with three stations.
Kuldeep is Senior Editor (Newsroom) at Swarajya. He tweets at @kaydnegi.