Rapid transit plan along Haryana-Rajasthan set to get a major boost

The Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) between Haryana and Rajasthan -- covering Delhi-Gurugram-Rewari-Alwar -- will get a major boost next year as the the detailed project report is in advanced stages of finalisation with Haryana keen to begin the work, said officials of National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC).

Thousands of commuters travel along the Haryana-Rajasthan route, which at present takes extra travel hours. Once the RRTS is in place -- oficials say it might take at least five years -- the travel time will be saved considerably.

The RRTS is a rail-based, high-speed transit system with a design speed of 180 kmph and an average speed of 100 kmph.

The first three corridors planned in phase-I are Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut, Delhi-Gurugram-Alwar and Delhi-Sonepat-Panipat.

The pre-construction work such as geo-technical survey, road widening, and utility diversion has begun along the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor, officials said.

"The Delhi-Gurugram -Alwar RRTS corridor's implementation is being planned in three phases. While Phase-I will start from Delhi (Sarai Kale Khan) to SNB (Shahjahanpur-Neemrana- Behrod), Phase-II will stretch from SNB to Sotanala and phase-III will extend from SNB to Alwar," said Sudhir Sharma, NCRTC spokesperson.

This 'Smart Line' will pass through industrialised areas of Haryana and Rajasthan, increasing the productivity of a large number of commuters travelling from Delhi and Gurugram to regions in Manesar, Bawal and Neemrana, he said.

In Phase-I implementation, this line will originate from Sarai Kale Khan in Delhi & will connect Jorbagh, Munirka, Aerocity to Udyog Vihar, Sec-17, Rajiv Chowk, Khir ki Daula, Manesar, Panchgaon, Bilaspur Chowk, Daruhera, MBIR, Rewari, Bawal and SNB in Haryana.

Further, with the alignment of teh Delhi-Gurugram-Alwar corridor passing through the Millennium City of Gurugram, the adjoining regions such as Manesar, Daruhera and others will directly benefit from it, officials said.

The fast connectivity will also help in developing new industrial and service centres along the corridor.

"There will be polycentric growth with the coming up of new residential complexes and towns," said an official, adding it would help in a balanced economic development of the region.

There are, however, a few challenges in implementing the ambitious project:

the corridor passes through densely populated areas of Delhi and will move largely along the National Highway road either on the median or at the edge, towards Gurugram and Rewari.

"Considering the speed proposed for the corridor, there will be a lot of engineering challenges. Construction will be done with the help of tunnel boring machines (TBMs) and launchers," said an NCRTC official.

"As this project involves multiple stakeholders such as respective state governments, authorities and agencies in the pre-construction approvals, it will also be a huge challenge in efficient execution of the project," he said.

The RRTS also promises to brighten up the realty landscape of Rajasthan. "Such projects will provide a major impetus to planned urbanization in the country besides providing a huge potential for employment, exports and industrial output," said Sumit Berry, Managing Director, BDI Group.

--IANS

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