The Union Budget has allocated ₹2,200 crore to National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC), around 25 per cent lower than the previous financial year’s outlay.

The joint venture company, created to implement the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) project, had received an allocation of ₹2,918 crore in 2025-26 and ₹3,855 crore in 2024-25.

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman has earmarked ₹1,324 crore under revenue expenditure and ₹876 crore under capital expenditure for the regional rapid rail project, which is in its last legs of implementation in the first phase.

The investment would support efforts to decongest Delhi-National Capital Region and help authorities reduce pollution through faster and cleaner public transport.

Under Phase I of the project, three major corridors — Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut, Delhi-Panipat-Karnal and Delhi-Gurgaon-SNB — were planned to converge at Sarai Kale Khan Namo Bharat station.

Several future corridors, including Delhi-Faridabad-Ballabgarh-Palwal, Ghaziabad-Khurja, Delhi-Bahadurgarh-Rohtak and Delhi-Shahdara-Baraut, are in the pipeline.

At present, a 55-km section of the 82-km Delhi-Meerut Namo Bharat corridor — from Delhi’s New Ashok Nagar to Meerut South in Uttar Pradesh — is operational.

The upcoming Delhi-Panipat-Karnal and Delhi-Gurgaon-Bawal rapid rail corridors are estimated to take about 2 lakh vehicles off the road, according to the proposed detailed project report.

The Delhi-Gurgaon-Bawal Namo Bharat corridor will pass through urbanised and industrial areas such as Gurgaon, Manesar, Manesar Bawal Investment Region, and Bawal, connecting Delhi’s IGI airport with the Regional Rapid Transit System.

When the other corridor is operational, commuters will be able to travel from Delhi to Karnal in 90 minutes and from Kashmiri Gate to Murthal in just 30 minutes.

Once the entire corridor is ready, it is estimated to increase the share of public transport along the stretch from 37 per cent to 63 per cent and help take more than 1 lakh private vehicles off the road. This will reduce 2,50,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide in vehicular emissions a year, said an official.

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