New Delhi: The high-speed rail corridor between Delhi and Meerut will have three stations in Delhi, instead of two, connecting the link to three different lines of Delhi Metro Rail Project.
The National Capital Region Transport Corporation Limited (NCRTC), which is executing the project, has added New Ashok Nagar of the Noida line of Delhi Metro as the third station. The other two are Sarai Kale Khan and Anand Vihar.
The project is yet to get in-principle approval from the Delhi government, but sources said another station was added in Delhi after a request from Delhi government representatives.
All three stations will be developed as interchange hubs. Sarai Kale Khan and Anand Vihar will also have connectivity with railway stations and bus terminals. The station at New Ashok Nagar will benefit metro commuters coming from Noida.
“The project will immensely benefit commuters and will take off a significant load from roads. By connecting it with metro, option for passengers will increase and more people will be discouraged to use their own mode of transport if the fare is less,” said Dr S Velmurugan, senior principal scientist (traffic engineering and road safety division) at CSIR-Central Road Research Institute.
Called the Regional Rail Transit System (RRTS), the trains under this project are designed to run at speeds as high as 180 kmph and are expected to travel at an average speed of 100 kmph.
The 90.2-km long corridor will now have 19 stations against 17 planned earlier. Other than the New Ashok Nagar station, another station has been added in Modi Nagar in Uttar Pradesh.
An NCRTC spokesperson said the decision to add the two stations was taken after a recently conducted joint survey on Friday.
