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High-speed trains to link small towns to Capital

NEW DELHI: Travelling back and forth between the Capital and small towns of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan could soon take just about an hour with high-speed trains connecting these regions under the proposed Regional Rapid Transport System (RRTS).

The air-conditioned trains will run on dedicated tracks with a combination of elevated, at-grade and underground lines at a maximum speed of 160 km per hour. Initially three corridors have been prioritised, connecting Delhi-Gurgaon-Rewari-Alwar, Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut and Delhi-Sonipat-Panipat.

According to a memorandum of understanding signed here on Wednesday, the project will be implemented through a joint venture between the Centre and the States involved, the cost of which will be shared equally.

The rough cost of the underground lines has been projected at Rs.290 crore per km, Rs.140 crore per km for the elevated track and around Rs.50 crore per km for the at-grade tracks.

Union Urban Development Secretary Navin Kumar said they are awaiting the feasibility report, expected by August-end, and thereafter the Detailed Project Report will take another 10 months before they could think in terms of floating tenders for the project. He said the RRTS will be integrated with other forms of public transport in the Capital.

“The idea is to provide speed. People should be able to come to the Capital from surrounding towns to work in the city. The concept of ‘commuter towns' is quite common abroad, where people caught trains back and forth from their home towns to the city for work,” he said.

The remaining corridors which have been proposed are Delhi-Faridabad-Ballabgarh-Palwal, Delhi-Ghaziabad-Khurja, Delhi-Bahadurgarh-Rohtak, Ghaziabad-Hapur and Delhi-Shahdara-Baraut.

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