NEW DELHI: Initially scheduled to open in June, the Sarai Kale Khan RRTS (Regional Rapid Transit System) station is yet to see the light of the day, with at least three deadlines already missed and officials still clueless about when it can be inaugurated.
What was once hailed as a project of grand scale to transform the daily commute in Delhi has now become a glaring example of shifting timelines and uncertainty.
Even the much-anticipated launch on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday last month failed to materialise, leaving the entire stretch hanging in bureaucratic delay. According to officials in the NCRTC (National Capital Region Transport Corporation), the station is ready to open; a formal inauguration is all that’s pending.
After the project missed the June deadline, it was slated to be inaugurated on September 17, but the date was later postponed to September 30, only to be held off again.
Notably, the NCRTC have successfully conducted a full-length time table trial run of Namo Bharat trains between Sarai Kale Khan and Modipuram, completing the journey in under an hour. During the trial, the train ran at a maximum operational speed of 160 kmph across the entire 82-km stretch.
It made a stop at every station from Sarai Kale Khan to Modipuram. Sarai Kale Khan has long been the bone of contention in the Delhi– Meerut RRTS project, significantly contributing to the delay in its progress. In 2023, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) had recommended constructing an elevated metro station at Sarai Kale Khan to ensure smoother integration with the RRTS infrastructure.
However, the Delhi government opposed the plan, insisting instead on an underground metro station. This disagreement between the Centre and the Delhi government stalled approvals and pushed back the construction timelines.
