Sarai Kale Khan transit hub in Delhi opens next month

The large transit hub at Sarai Kale Khan in New Delhi is almost ready and will start operations next month. It is part of the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Namo Bharat corridor, which includes the largest station on the route. Officials expect trial runs to begin within the next two weeks. The Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) will feature four stations in Delhi. About 3.8 km of the capital's 14-km stretch will be underground. There is a plan to extend the line by two kilometers to Jangpura. When the trains start, the hub will connect four transport modes: Indian Railways, Delhi Metro, inter-state buses, and local buses. Pedestrian bridges are under construction to link the RRTS station with Hazrat Nizamuddin station, the Metro, and the bus terminal. The entire 84-km corridor aims to reduce travel time between Jangpura in Delhi and Modipuram in Meerut to just one hour. It is expected to serve about 800,000 passengers daily. Of the whole stretch, 68 km will be elevated, 13 km underground, and 3 km at grade level. The full project is expected to finish by 2025. A 55 km stretch is already running, as a section was launched earlier this year. RRTS trains will run faster than typical trains and metros, exceeding speeds of 160 km/h, with trains every 15 minutes. Fares will start at ₹20 for standard coaches and ₹30 for premium coaches, reaching up to ₹150 and ₹225 for longer distances. This rapid transit also represents a convenient option for many commuters between Delhi and Meerut, cutting travel time to less than an hour. The system is managed by the National Capital Region Transport Corporation, which includes various government partners. Deutsche Bahn, Germany's national railway, will operate the corridor for 12 years, and trains are being built in Gujarat.