RailEnquiry

Chief Secretary of Rajasthan Shri C.K. Mathew has said that very soon Alwar city would be connected to Delhi and Gurgaon by a metro-like fast train service. For this, a multi-party Memorandum-of-Understanding (MoU) for establishing the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) was signed at Delhi on Thursday.

Shri Mathew said that the new Alwar-Delhi rail corridor of 180 kilometers has been included in the first phase of the Regional Rapid Rail Transit System (RRTS) for the National Capital Region(NCR). As per the agreement between four states falling under the NCR i.e. Delhi, Rajasthan, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, total eight rail corridors are to be developed.

After signing the MoU, Shri Mathew stated that the Delhi-Alwar via Gurgaon-Rewari rail corrioer would also connect the Bhiwadi-Behror-Neemrana industrial circuit. Along with fast plying of passengers, this project would also ensure overall development of Alwar district and Delhi would be relieved from the pressure of migration.

The MoU was signed in the meeting chaired by the Urban Development Secretary of the union government Shri Sudhir Krishna. Among the signatories are the Government of India, the NCR Planning Board and the chief secretaries of the four states.

The Union cabinet has already approved the formation of transport corporation for developing rail-corridors under the RRTS project in the NCR by considering passenger pressure upto year 2023, according to the Functional Plan on Transport for NCR-2023.

Initially, a corpus fund of Rs 100 crore would be raised for the corporation in which the Union Urban Development Ministry and the Railways would contribute for 22.5% each. The NCR Planning Board would give 5% contribution, while the rest 50% would be raised by the four states in equal proportion of 12.5% each.

After the meeting for signing the MoU, Additional Chief Secretary of Rajasthan Shri GS Sandhu said that first phase of the RRTS would complete in five-years. During this, Rs 25,000 crore are to be spent on Delhi-Alwar route.

The other two routes for the first phase of the project include Delhi-Sonipat-Panipat route of 111 kilometers and Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut route ranging 90 kilometers. The project cost of entire rail transit system has been calculated to be Rs 72,000 crore.

Shri Sandhu said that the 180-kilometer long Alwar-Delhi route would be traveled in merely 2-hours and would have 19 stations between Sarai Kale Khan and Alwar. Major stations on this corridor include Bhiwadi, Tapukada, Khushkhera, Shahjahanpur, Neemrana, Behror and Khairthal.

After the meeting, Shri Krishna said that the transport corporation would establish and manage the RRTS along with multi-model transport system in the NCR. In addition to development of rail corridors, plying of 25,000 new buses in the region to feed passengers to the RRTS is also part of the project.

Shri Krishna said that the Indian Railways and the Delhi Metro Corporation would provide technical and other assistance to the new corporation for development of the rail-corridors. Most of the rail-lines would be on-ground or on the pillars, while some portion would be under-ground as well.

On Delhi-Alwar route 141 kilometers rail-lines would be above-ground and rest 39 kilometers would be under-ground.

On the occasion of signing the MoU at Nirman Bhawan in Delhi, the Chairman of Railway Board Shri Arunendra Kumar and member of the NCR Planning Board Ms Naini Jayaselan were also present along with several members of the Union Ministry for Urban Development and senior officials of the concerned states.