Delhi government to release Rs 415 crore for RRTS project

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) led Delhi government will release Rs 415 crore for the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) project between the national capital and Meerut (Uttar Pradesh). This move comes after the Supreme Court on Monday directed the state government to disburse the required funds for India's first regional train service, called RAPIDX, being executed by the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC). Delhi's share of the funds will be released in 2 months.

The apex court decision was needed after the state government initially expressed inability to disburse the required amount to complete the project. RAPIDX is a Rs 30,000 crore project jointly funded by multilateral institutions (60%), and by central and state governments. The centre's share stands at 20% while the states of Delhi (3.5%), and Uttar Pradesh (16.5%) contribute in proportion to infrastructure being developed in their territory.

Of the 82-kilometre (km) Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut corridor, around 14 km lies in Delhi. A 17-km-long priority section of the RAPIDX is ready to begin operations. This portion, in Uttar Pradesh, has five stations—Sahibabad, Ghaziabad, Guldhar, Duhai and Duhai Depot.