INDIA: The 13 km Sahibabad to New Ashok Nagar extension of the Delhi – Ghaziabad – Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System line was opened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 5.
The Rs46bn extension takes Namo Bharat (commuter) services into central Delhi; there is an interchange with the metro network at New Ashok Nagar. The Prime Minister’s office said this was expected to significantly ease travel by offering ‘high-speed and comfortable travel along with unmatched safety and reliability’.
On the same day, Modi also inaugurated the first section of Delhi Metro Phase IV, a 2·8 km extension of Line 8 (Magenta) from Janakpuri to Krishna Park, and laid the foundation stone for the Rs62·3bn, 26·5 km long Rithala – Kundli section of Phase IV.
‘Today marks another significant milestone in India’s modern infrastructure journey’, said Modi. He added that India’s metro networks have grown from 248 km in five cities a decade ago to 1 000 km in 21 cities today. He said India now had the third longest total length of metro lines in the world, and would soon have the second longest.
