Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Friday, launched India’s Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) by flagging off a Namo BharatX train on the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Corridor.

Speaking on the occasion, the prime minister said the high-speed modern train gives a glimpse of India’s future, and how it is transforming with economic progress.

Modi travelled on the Regional Rapid Train Namo Bharat on the 17 km priority RRTS stretch, connecting Sahibabad to Duhai Depot. He inaugurated the train at the Sahibabad RapidX Station in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh.

Along with this, he dedicated to the nation two stretches of the east-west corridor of Bengaluru Metro. The Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS is being developed at a cost of Rs 30,000 crore and will connect Delhi to Meerut in less than an hour of travel time.

The prime minister said it was a historic moment for the whole country as India’s first Rapid Rail Service Namo Bharat train was starting operation. He said he had laid the foundation stone for the Delhi-Meerut corridor about four years back.

“I have said this before; I always inaugurate projects for which I lay foundation stones. The Meerut part will compete in one to one-and-a-half years and I will be present then also,” Modi said.

“I travelled by the train today. I have spent my childhood on railway platforms. The Indian Railway, as it appears today, makes me happy,” he said. The Prime Minister said the entire staff of the new train, including locomotive pilots, is women and congratulated the people of Delhi, NCR, and western UP on the launch of the train.

The Prime Minister said it was his firm belief that the nation’s development is possible only when States develop. He said Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was attending the ceremony virtually, as two lines of Bengaluru Metro were also getting operational. The new lines will improve the IT hub’s connectivity in the State Capital, he said.

“India of the 21st century is writing its own saga of progress and development in every sector,” the Prime Minister said. India has surprised the world with its Chandrayaan 3 Mission landing on the Moon. India has since become a centre of attraction and inquiry for the world, which wants to associate with India.

Today’s India has given a record-breaking performance of bagging more than 100 medals at the Asian Games, and launched on its own the 5G in the country, he said. India is today doing maximum digital transactions in the world.

India-made vaccines turned out to be a lifesaver for crores of people in the world. Modi said big companies are coming to India to manufacture mobile phones, TVs, laptops, and computers.

He said the country is manufacturing fighter jets and has shown its capacity by manufacturing the aircraft carrier INS Vikrant. “The Namo Bharat train starting today is also Made in India,” Modi said proudly.

“The day is not far when we will land the first Indian on the moon in our spacecraft,” the Prime Minister said. All this is happening for the youth and to make their future bright, he said.

He told the young audience: “Don’t you feel proud of these achievements and don’t you see a bright future for yourself in these developments.” He said the screen doors installed on the platforms are also made in India.

The Prime Minister said the helicopters he travels in are noisy like tractors. But the noise in the Namo Bharat Train is less than even that felt during air travel. The low level of noise will make the train journey comfortable. He said the Delhi-Meerut 80 km stretch is just the beginning.

He said the RRTS first phase will connect many areas of Delhi, UP, Haryana, and Rajasthan with Namo Bharat trains. He said, “I hope the mention of Rajasthan does not spoil Ashok Gehlot’s sleep.” In the coming days, Modi said that a similar system will be created in other parts of the country, facilitating industrial development, and creating new avenues of employment.

He said the third decade of this century will be a decade of Indian Railways’ complete transformation. “In these 10 years, you will find new railways in the country. I have no habit of having small dreams, nor do I like to walk like a slow person,” he said.

“I want to give guarantee to the youth, by the end of this decade you will not find Indian trains less than the trains of any other country in any manner,” the Prime Minister said.

The Indian railway will achieve a new pedestal in the world in safety, cleanliness, facilities, coordination, sensitivity, and capability, he said. Indian railway is not very far from the goal of 100 per cent electrification.

“Trinity of Amrit Bharat, Vande Bharat, and Namo Bharat will become a symbol of modernisation of Indian Railways by the end of this decade”, he added.

Underlining multi-modal connectivity, the prime minister said Delhi’s Sarai Kale Khan, Anand Vihar, Ghaziabad, and Meerut bus stations, metro stations, and railway stations are being connected by Namo Bharat system. People will not have to worry how to go home after their train journeys, he said.

Governor of Uttar Pradesh Anandiben Patel, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri were present on the occasion.