Meerut Metro and Namo Bharat services to be flagged off by PM Modi on Feb 22

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Meerut on Sunday and flag off the Meerut Metro and Namo Bharat train at Shatabdi Nagar Namo Bharat station in the western Uttar Pradesh town.

From there, the prime minister will undertake a metro ride till Meerut South station and at around 1 pm, he will inaugurate and dedicate to the nation various development projects worth around Rs 12,930 crore in Meerut.

Modi will also address the gathering on the occasion, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office.

The prime minister will dedicate to the nation the entire 82 km Delhi–Meerut Namo Bharat corridor. He will inaugurate the remaining sections of India’s first Namo Bharat Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS), which include the 5 km section between Sarai Kale Khan and New Ashok Nagar in Delhi and the 21 km section between Meerut South and Modipuram in Uttar Pradesh.

With a design speed of 180 km per hour, Namo Bharat is India’s first regional rapid transit system. It will connect major urban centres such as Sahibabad, Ghaziabad, Modinagar and Meerut with Delhi at a faster pace, the statement said.

Sarai Kale Khan, the originating station of the corridor, is one of the four Namo Bharat stations to be commissioned with this inauguration.

It is strategically located as a major multi-modal hub, seamlessly connecting Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station, Delhi Metro’s pink line, Veer Haqeeqat Rai ISBT, and the ring road. The other three Namo Bharat stations, Shatabdi Nagar, Begumpul and Modipuram, being commissioned are in Meerut.

The prime minister will also inaugurate the Meerut Metro services between Meerut South and Modipuram, operating on the same infrastructure as Namo Bharat, in a first-of-its-kind initiative in the country.

The Meerut Metro will be India’s fastest metro system with a maximum operational speed of around 120 kmph. The metro will cover the entire stretch in just 30 minutes, with all scheduled stoppages en route.

This integration of Namo Bharat and Meerut Metro on the same infrastructure will enable high-speed intercity travel and intra-city movement. It is expected to reduce road traffic and vehicular carbon dioxide emissions.

The projects are aimed at improving urban mobility and creating efficient, modern and sustainable public transport systems, the statement said.