Context:

• The Prime Minister  inaugurated a 17-km stretch classified as the ‘priority section’ of the 82-km-long delhi–meerut regional rapid transit system.

What is the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS)?

• Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) is an integrated, mass transit network which aims to ensure “balanced and sustainable urban development” through better connectivity and access across the NCR.
• The National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB) recommended eight RRTS corridors to connect NCR towns with high speed rail-based commuter transit services.
• Implementing Agency: National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) Or Namo Bharat under Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. 
  • NCRTC is a joint venture company of the Central government and Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
• The RRTS is modeled on systems such as the RER in Paris, Regional-Express trains in Germany and Austria as well as the SEPTA Regional Rail in the United States.

What are the benefits of regional rapid transit system?

• Faster: Unlike metros, the regional rapid transit system network is faster. It will cater to commuters who want to travel relatively longer distances across the National Capital Region (NCR) in a short time.
• Higher Frequency: Compared with the Indian Railways, though the RRTS train will cover relatively smaller distances, it will do so at higher frequency and provide relatively more comfort than the average Railways coach.
• Connectivity: It will enhance multi-modal connectivity at the existing transportation hubs within NCR.
• Employment Generation: It aims to give a push to employment generation and the opening up of newer commercial hubs along the current contours of the NCR.

News Source: The Indian Express