New Delhi [India], February 21 : Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Saturday informed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Meerut Metro and the Delhi-Meerut Rapid Rail corridor on Sunday (February 22), calling it a major gift for the people of the national capital.
She said the new corridor will make travel easier for thousands of daily commuters on the route and help reduce traffic on the roads, describing the occasion as a "celebration of joy" for the city and the country.
Speaking to the reporters here, CM Gupta said, "On behalf of the people of Delhi, I want to express my deepest gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the gift he has given to Delhi; this will make travel easier for the people of Delhi. Thousands of people travel daily on this Delhi-Meerut route; hundreds of vehicles that used to ply on the roads will now reduce."
"This corridor is a matter of good fortune for all of us to receive for the country and Delhi. It is a celebration of joy. Tomorrow, the Prime Minister will himself dedicate it to the people of the country," she said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, on February 22 (Sunday).
At around 12:30 PM, the Prime Minister will flag off the Meerut Metro and the Namo Bharat Train at Shatabdi Nagar Namo Bharat Station.
From there, PM Modi will undertake a Metro Ride till Meerut South Station. At around 1 PM, the Prime Minister will inaugurate and dedicate to the nation various development projects worth around Rs 12,930 crore in Meerut. He will also address the gathering on the occasion, according to the release.
The Prime Minister will dedicate the entire 82 Km Delhi-Meerut Namo Bharat Corridor. He will inaugurate 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.
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.
Sarai Kale Khan, the originating station of the corridor, is one of the four Namo Bharat stations to be commissioned with this inauguration. It is strategically located as a major multi-modal hub, seamlessly connecting Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station, Delhi Metro's Pink Line, Veer Haqeeqat Rai ISBT, and Ring Road. The other three Namo Bharat stations, Shatabdi Nagar, Begumpul and Modipuram, being commissioned are in Meerut.
According to the release, the Prime Minister will also inaugurate Meerut Metro services between Meerut South and Modipuram, operating on the same infrastructure as Namo Bharat, in a first-of-its-kind initiative in the country. Meerut Metro will be India's fastest metro system with a maximum operational speed of around 120 kmph. Metro will cover the entire stretch in just 30 minutes, with all the scheduled stoppages enroute.