CM Yogi thanks PM Modi for inaugurating country's first Rapid Rail in Ghaziabad

Ghaziabad (Uttar Pradesh) [India], October 20 : Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday said that the Rapid Rail is an excellent mode of public transport that will significantly reduce the travel time between Delhi and Meerut.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off India's first 'Namo Bharat Train' (RapidX) and inaugurated the country's first Regional Rapid Transit System in Ghaziabad.
On this occasion, the Chief Minister said, "What was once a dream has now become a reality because 'Modi hai toh Mumkin hai'. The entire country and Uttar Pradesh are witnessing the fulfilment of this dream."
Expressing his gratitude to PM Modi, CM Yogi said that this gift on the occasion of Shardiya Navratri is a blessing.
"On behalf of the 25 crore people of the state, we are thankful and delighted to welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modi for dedicating the country's first regional rapid transit system, Rapid Rail, to the nation just ahead of Vijayadashami, under the name 'Namo Bharat'," the Chief Minister said.
He further said, "Previously, Meerut was also connected to a 12-lane express highway. A journey that used to take four and a half hours can now be covered in just 45 minutes."
He also honoured PM Modi by gifting him 'angavastra' and an idol of Maa Durga.
CM Yogi highlighted the remarkable infrastructure development witnessed over the past 9.5 years, with railway stations transformed into airport-like facilities, exemplifying India's progress.
The rapid revitalization of 500 railway stations within Amrit Bharat is also taking place. The Vande Bharat train represents the emergence of a new India, he said.
The Chief Minister said, "Under the guidance and leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the most populous state in the country is entering a new era of infrastructure."
He further said that these are the results of the double-engine government's efforts that the metro rail system is being successfully operated in five cities of Uttar Pradesh, providing a state-of-the-art public transport system. In February, metro rail will be operated in Agra, the CM added.
CM Yogi further said that the work of the country's first ropeway service is going on a war footing in Baba Vishwanath's Dham in Varanasi by transforming its ancient structure into a new one.
The efforts that have been started to establish new infrastructure, be it in the form of highways, express highways, Eastern and Western Dedicated Freight Corridors, and logistics hubs, are showing miraculous results today, Chief Minister Yogi said.
"It is as a result of this that the country has seen India grow as the fifth largest economy in the world through this state-of-the-art world-class infrastructure in its period of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav", he said.
On this occasion, Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandi Ben Patel, Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Union Minister General VK Singh, Kaushal Kishore, Uttar Pradesh BJP President Chaudhary Bhupendra Singh, State Government Minister Narendra Kashyap, MPs Rajendra Aggarwal, Satpal Singh, Anil Aggarwal, Dr Laxmikant Bajpai, Vijay Pal Singh Tomar, Kanta Kardam, Mayor Sunita Dayal, District Panchayat President Mamta Tyagi, and other legislators were present. Additionally, Karnataka's Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was connected from Bengaluru through video conferencing.
This RapidX will operate between 17 km long Ghaziabad, Guldhar, Duhai, and Duhai depots from Sahibabad.
This semi-high-speed train will run at a speed of 160 kilometres per hour. This 82-kilometer-long project is expected to be completed by June 2025. This project was started in 2019 by RRTS. This rapid rail project has been named RapidX by RTS. After the construction of the entire route between Delhi and Meerut, preparations are underway to run a total of 30 rapid trains.
The government has identified eight such lines, which will be developed under the RRTS project. NCRTC will construct three corridors in the first phase. These will be Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut, Delhi-Gurgaon-Nimrana-Alwar and Delhi-Panipat. The remaining five corridors where trains will run at a speed of 160 km per hour are - Delhi-Faridabad-Ballabgarh-Palwal, Ghaziabad-Khurja, Delhi-Bahadurgarh-Rohtak, Ghaziabad-Hapur and Delhi-Shahdara-Baraut.
The plan for this corridor falls under the RapidX project, and its management responsibilities will be handled by the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC). There will be 5 stations on this route, which include Sahibabad, Ghaziabad, Guldhar, Duhai and Duhai Depot. Passengers will be able to buy tickets through mobile and card.
A stretcher has been arranged in the last compartment of the rail coach. If a patient is referred from Meerut to Delhi, then a separate coach is arranged for this, so that the patient can be transported at a lower cost. Separate seats have been prepared for the divyangjan, which can be folded when not in use.
The seats of this train have been designed to be comfortable, with adjustable chairs. Moreover, special arrangements have been made for passengers who prefer to stand. The train will also offer WiFi connectivity and mobile USB charging facilities.
According to DPR estimates, the train fare will be around Rs 2 per km. There will be Rapid Line connectivity on seven lines of Delhi Metro. It will be connected to Munirka, INA, and Aerocity.
According to the RRTS project, 24 stations will be built along the entire corridor. The agency estimates that if the project is completed in 2025, around eight lakh passengers will be able to travel through it daily. It will take one hour to reach Meerut from Delhi.