In a big boost to Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) implementation in National Capital Region, the Delhi-Gurugram-SNB corridor will now be under the ambit of PM Gati Shakti masterplan.
The project has been shortlisted by Network Planning Group (NPG) under Ministry of Commerce and Industry, among other projects to boost urban connectivity and support manufacturing.
Backing of the NPG, consisting of the heads of the planning divisions of eight ministries and departments is likely to result in faster approvals and expeditious completion of the much-delayed project.
The Project
The Delhi-Gurugram-SNB (Shahjahanpur-Neemrana-Behror Urban Complex) RRTS corridor is part of the Delhi-Arwal RRTS Line.
One of the three RRTS corridors prioritised for implementation, Delhi-Gurugram-Alwar is planned to be implemented in three stages.
Under the first stage, a 106.5 km stretch will be constructed from Sarai Kale Khan (SKK) in Delhi to SNB Urban Complex, just ahead of Bawal (Haryana), enroute touching various regional nodes such as Gurugram, Manesar, Panchgaon and Rewari.
The line would be extended from SNB Urban Complex to Sotanala (33.3 km), with Shahjahanpur, Neemrana, and Behror in between, under the second phase. SNB to Alwar (58 km) extension is proposed under the third phase.
The Delhi-Gurugram-SNB corridor will be elevated for about 71 km (11 stations), the remaining 35 km (5 stations) will be constructed underground, mostly in Delhi & Gurugram.
This corridor will be interoperable with the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor, facilitating commuters to travel between one corridor to another without the need to change the train.
Similarly, with an intent to incentivise the use of Public Transport, RRTS stations on this corridor will be seamlessly integrated with other modes of transport — metro rail, railway station and ISBT at Sarai Kale Khan; metro rail systems at INA, Aerocity, Udyog Vihar in Gurgaon, Kherki Duala, and Panchgaon and IGI airport at Aerocity.
Approval
The Board of the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC), which is carrying out the RRTS project, had in December 2021 approved the construction of the Delhi-Gurugram-SNB corridor. Subsequently, the detailed project report (DPR) of the project was approved by the state governments of Haryana and Rajasthan in 2019.
The corridor is planned to be constructed in about five years’ time, excluding one year of pre-construction activities at a base construction cost of Rs 37,987 crore, funded by government of India (20 per cent), concerned state governments (20 per cent) and bilateral/multilateral funding agencies (60 per cent).
The centre has already received the approval with financial commitment of government of Haryana and government of Rajasthan for Delhi-SNB RRTS corridor. However, the Delhi government has not agreed to provide funds for the RRTS corridor connecting the national capital with Rajasthan and Haryana.
The proposal is currently under consideration of government of India.
Significance
This RRTS smart line will pass through the urbanised and industrialised areas of Haryana such as Gurugram, Rewari, Manesar, Daruheda, Bawal and connect Delhi airport with the RRTS network, increasing the overall productivity of NCR.
Once constructed, the corridor is expected to bring down the travel time between Sarai Kale Khan (SKK) and SNB to less than 70 minutes. The daily ridership on this corridor is estimated to be 8.5 lakh in 2025.
Apart from unlocking economic development potential of the region, such high-speed commute will bring people and places closer, enabling polycentric growth in NCR.
