Meerut: The Union government in its interim budget presented on Friday has marked Rs 1,000 crore for the semi-high speed Delhi -Meerut rapid rail corridor, which will boost connectivity in the national capital region ( NCR ) and cut short travel time between the two cities to just 60 minutes.“The fund released by the Centre will expedite work on 82-km long Delhi–Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System (Delhi–Meerut RRTS), which is at the initial stage,” said Sudhir Sharma, chief pubic relation officer, National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC).“The NCRTC, mandated to implement RRTS project, is fully geared up to start construction on the inaugural corridor of Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut,” Sharma said. Pre-construction activities such as geo-technical investigation, road widening work, utility diversion etc. are already in advance stages.The project, which is tipped to reduce the Delhi traffic by about one lakh vehicles, has been in works for over a decade now. The project will cost around Rs 32,000 crore and is expected to become operation in 2024.RRTS trains with average speed of 100kmph will be available at a frequency of every 5-10 minutes and there will be 18 stations between Delhi and Meerut. Half of it will be funded by the Central government while the other half will be shared by the governments of UP and Delhi.These trains will be air-conditioned with transverse seating and overhead luggage space for commuter comfort. There would be priority seating arrangements for people with special needs, an exclusive coach for women travelers and a business class coach in every train to encourage people to leave their cars for public transport.The corridor will consist of a total of 18 stations, out of which 30 km will be underground, while 60 km will be on an elevated stretch.

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