ADB, Centre ink USD 500 million loan for Delhi-Meerut rapid transit corridor

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Centre signed the first tranche of a total USD 1 billion facility to build a modern, high-speed rail network between Delhi and Meerut in Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday. The Manila-based multinational lender is providing a USD 500 million loan to build the 82-kilometre Delhi-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) corridor that will improve regional connectivity and mobility in the national capital region (NCR).

The first tranche loan will support the construction of the first of three priority rail corridors planned under the NCR Regional Plan 2021 to connect Delhi to other cities in adjoining states, the Finance Ministry said in a statement. 

“The project will provide better connectivity to allow other towns in the NCR to develop as urban economic centers surrounded by residential areas while easing the concentration pressure on Delhi,” said a senior Finance Ministry official who signed the loan agreement on the Centre's behalf. The official added that the development of this transit corridor will pave the way for a paradigm shift in mobility and the pattern of urban development within the region.

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Reduce journey time to about 1 hour

According to the government, with a design speed of 180 km per hour and high-frequency operations of every 5–10 minutes, the 82-km RRTS corridor connecting Sarai Kale Khan in Delhi to Modipuram in Meerut is expected to reduce the journey time to about 1 hour from the present 3–4 hours. The RRTS will have multimodal hubs to ensure smooth interchange with other transport modes.

The first tranche financing will be used for constructing electrified tracks, signaling systems, multimodal hubs, and stations with design features that are friendly to the elderly, women, children, and the disabled. It will also support the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) in drafting action plans on TOD, VCF instruments, and public-private partnership (PPP) initiatives, setting up a smart-technology based platform, and formulating a gender-friendly workplace policy.

Besides, a USD 3 million grant from ADB’s Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction will support various activities, including the provision of visual, hearing, and mobility aids such as wheelchairs for differently-abled persons. Moreover, training for women and differently-abled on safe mobility and employment opportunities and behavioral change for public transport providers will also be given.

The ADB-administered multi-donor Urban Climate Change Resilience Trust Fund will provide USD 2.89 million to support innovations in building information modeling, universal access design features, TOD, and VCF.

(Image source: ADB India/Twitter)

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