Capital gets RRTS, Metro phase 4 boost ahead of polls
PM Modi inaugurated ₹12,000 crore in transit projects in Delhi, criticizing AAP, and promising BJP's commitment to public welfare ahead of elections.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated a bevy of public transit and infrastructure projects worth over ₹12,000 crore in Delhi as he continued a campaign blitz across the national capital days before elections to the state assembly are expected to be announced.
Modi first opened a 13km section of the Delhi-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System between Sahibabad in Ghaziabad and New Ashok Nagar in the Capital and later inaugurated the Janakpuri West-Krishna Park Extension link of the Delhi Metro, the first stretch under the network’s Phase 4.
The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone of the Delhi Metro’s Rithala-Narela-Kundli corridor as well as of a new complex of the Central Ayurveda Research Institute (CARI) in Rohini.
Capping the day with a speech at Japanese Park in the northwest Delhi neighbourhood, Modi slammed the Capital’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, likened it once again to a disaster and accused it of reigning in the city’s, even as he assured voters that a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, if voted to power in the February elections, would not halt any public welfare programmes.
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The AAP, in turn, said it was an equal stakeholder in the projects and accused the BJP of not living up to promises it made to Delhi’s voters.
The mega infrastructure push follows on from a similar spree on Friday, when Modi inaugurated or started work on projects worth ₹4,500 crore – 1,675 new flats for the poor in Ashok Vihar; a new CBSE complex in, and new Delhi University campuses in the city’s east and west.
On Sunday, the Prime Minister first took a ride on the RRTS, named Namo Bharat, from Sahibabad to New Ashok Nagar in east Delhi, marking the entry of the interstate rapid rail into the national capital.
The 82km Namo Bharat will, once complete, link Sarai Kale Khan in Delhi with Modipuram in Meerut. Modi lifted the wraps off the first section, from Sahibabad to Duhai Depot in Ghaziabad, in October 2023. The next stretch — Duhai to Modi Nagar North — opened last March. The Modi Nagar North to Meerut South stretch was then operationalised last August.
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A Namo Bharat train takes commuters between Delhi and Meerut South in just 40 minutes,the quickest of any public transit system yet. The trains can travel at a top speed of 180km/hour. In comparison, Delhi Metro trains run at a maximum speed of 80km/hour, except for the Airport Express Line (AEL), which can touch 120km/hour.
Passenger operations for commuters started at 5pm. A ticket from New Ashok Nagar station to Meerut South station is ₹150 for a standard coach and ₹225 for the premium coach.
“Delhi-NCR has received a significant gift from the government of India and added that India’s urban mobility has expanded further... Once the Namo Bharat project is completed, there will be a significant change in traffic on the Delhi-Meerut route,” he said in a statement.
He was accompanied by Delhi chief minister Atishi, Union minister of housing and urban affairs Manohar Lal and lieutenant governor VK Saxena.
Atishi in a statement said, “RRTS is a joint effort of the central, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana governments, and connects NCR with Delhi. The Delhi government has also invested ₹1,260 crore in the RRTS line being built from Delhi to Meerut, as it will boost the economic development of Delhi.”
The prime minister also interacted with a raft of people during his journey, receiving paintings and portraits from some.
Work on the other sections – New Ashok Nagar to Sarai Kale Khan and Meerut South to Modipuram – is on track and the complete corridor is expected to be operational by June 2025, said officials.
Hours later, Modi inaugurated the Janakpuri West-Krishna Park Extension section of the Delhi Metro, a corridor comprising of one new station on the Magenta Line. The city’s expansive Metro network now comprises 289 stations.
He also laid the foundation stone of the Rithala-Narela-Kundli corridor, which will be an extension of the Red Line, the Capital’s first Metro line.
Commenting on the Metro expansion, Atishi said, “It is a joint venture of the Delhi government and the central government. The Delhi government has invested ₹7,268 crore in the Metro over the last 10 years. Delhi is emerging as a model of public transport and sustainable public transportation for the country.”
Modi then laid the foundation stone of a new CARI building in Rohini, where he extolled the agency’s contributions. The building is to be constructed for around ₹185 crore.
Addressing a public rally in Rohini, Modi said the AAP government had failed Delhi in all regards.
“The BJP can develop Delhi. In the last 10 years, Delhi has seen a state government which is nothing less than an AAPda. Delhiites can feel this now. There is only one chant in Delhi: AAPda nahi sahenge, Badal Ke Rahenge (We will not tolerate AAPda, we will change it),” he said.