Ghaziabad: When Parag Agarwal decided to move out of his rented flat in Vaishali last year, it wasn’t a job change or a life event that prompted the shift. It was a train. One that would bring him to Ghaziabad from Meerut in half an hour.Since its launch in Oct 2023, and the phased opening of sections of the 82km Delhi-Meerut corridor, the RRTS, or Namo Bharat, corridor has redrawn the NCR map, making it possible for people to continue living in their homes in Meerut, or farther towns of Ghaziabad, and pursue active careers in Delhi and Noida.On Sunday, when the entire length of the corridor opens, it will accelerate this amalgamation for many more, with the RRTS ride from Meerut to Sarai Kale Khan taking as long as a Yellow Line ride between Gurgaon and Connaught Place or a Blue Line ride from Dwarka to Mayur Vihar.Agarwal, for one, has embraced Meerut as his permanent base. “My wife’s office is in Sahibabad, so we rented a flat in Vaishali to stay closer to her workplace. But last year, we decided to move back to Meerut after RRTS cut travel time between Meerut and Ghaziabad to about 30 minutes,” said Agarwal, who runs a digital marketing firm.The family has also dropped plans to buy a house in Ghaziabad or Noida. “For working professionals, living close to the national capital feels necessary, but everything there was beyond our budget, so we shelved the idea. When the rapid rail reached Meerut South in Aug last year, we began looking for property there and found a flat within our means. Now my wife commutes to Ghaziabad on RRTS, and I can meet clients in Delhi and still be home by evening. Life has become much easier,” he added.Nitika Rastogi from Modinagar said rapid rail is far cheaper and more convenient than cabs. A one-way ride to New Ashok Nagar costs Rs 180 in the premium coach and Rs 120 in the standard one. “The first time I travelled from Modinagar to Delhi, I was amazed by the speed. We usually take a cab, which costs anywhere between Rs 750 and Rs 1,200,” she said.Colleagues Amit Nagar and Sonia Tomar, who work in Noida Film City, said RRTS has transformed their daily commute, with Amit travelling from Govindpuram and Sonia from Raj Nagar Extension, both using rapid rail between New Ashok Nagar and Guldhar.“The Ghaziabad-Noida Film City stretch is notorious for bottlenecks. Driving during peak hours can be exhausting as one gets stuck in tailbacks. Now, travel time is down to about half an hour from over 45 minutes,” Amit said.And it isn’t just work. People are also using the service for weekend plans. Kiran, a resident of Shatabdi Vihar in Meerut, said she now often travels to Delhi on weekend mornings to visit her daughter. “I take the first rapid rail from Meerut South and reach New Ashok Nagar in about 40 minutes. My daughter, who works as a nurse, finishes her night shift around then, so we can spend the day together. If I don’t want to stay the night, I can easily return home by evening now,” she said. The full corridor with 22 stations will reduce travel time between Meerut and Delhi to approximately 55 minutes. The 17km Sahibabad to Duhai Depot section was first opened on Oct 20, 2023. Subsequent sections were opened in stages, including Duhai to Modinagar (North) on March 6, 2024, and Modinagar North to Meerut (South) on Aug 18, 2024, and Sahibabad to New Ashok Nagar on Jan 5, 2025. The last leg between Meerut South and Modipuram depot stations in Meerut and Sarai Kale Khan station in Delhi will open to commuters on Feb 22. For Sandeep Anand, who runs a restaurant in Delhi’s Chandni Chowk, RRTS has made an otherwise tough choice—staying in Meerut to care for his elderly parents or travel on weekends—more manageable. “My life has become convenient now. I sit in the AC trains and travel from Meerut to Anand Vihar. From there, I take the Delhi Metro to Chandni Chowk. Earlier, my only option was to travel by bus from Meerut,” Anand said.Entrepreneurs, too, are leveraging the train to bridge distances that earlier slowed down or restricted business. Akshay Chari, a resident of Mayur Vihar, runs a polyfarm in Meerut and visits once a week for supervision.“The ride is 30 minutes. Add to that 5 minutes that I take to walk back home from New Ashok Nagar station,” Chari said. “Earlier, I could only go there once in 15 days. It was demotivating for workers and had slowed our progress. Now, with the RRTS, anytime there is a crisis, I can get there in about 40 minutes.”For Sugandh Kumar in Meerut’s Begumpur, the train has helped maintain a healthier balance between study and social life. “As I am preparing for competitive exams, I cannot waste too much time on leisure, and thinking about travelling for two hours just to meet friends was out of the question. Now, it only takes 40 minutes to reach Anand Vihar,” said Kumar.Students commuting to colleges in Delhi and other NCR cities from Meerut have also gained. Class 11 students from Modinagar, Saumya Dahiya and Devansh Singh, take RRTS daily after school to attend a coaching class in Anand Vihar. “The coaching faculty in Modinagar is not on a par with the one in Delhi. For better quality preparation, we decided to enrol in the Anand Vihar centre because commuting was no longer a hassle,” said Saumya.Somya Gupta, a student at ITS College in Mohan Nagar, said the corridor has not only opened more coaching and college options for students but helped many stay at home instead of opting for hostels. “Had RRTS not been there, I would have to opt for a hostel as daily travel of 2 hours on one side via bus would not be practical,” she said.Still, there are gaps, particularly in last-mile connectivity. Shivam and Sumit Taneja, medical representatives from Delhi who travel occasionally to Meerut for work, pointed to steep transport costs after alighting. “Now autos to Meerut city ask for Rs 200 from Meerut South station. I would have rather come in my CNG car and saved some money,” Taneja, a resident of Yamuna Vihar, said.Shivam added, “I paid Rs 140 on a one-way fare from Anand Vihar to Meerut South. Now, I will have to pay another Rs 200 to go into the city. Maybe, after the full route between Sarai Kale Khan and Modipuram gets operations, the corridor will be beneficial to us.”
