New Delhi: For Puja Prajapati and her family, the excitement of the occasion outweighed the long wait. Puja, her husband Amit and son Prithvi travelled from Burari to the Sarai Kale Khan RRTS station around noon on Sunday, hoping to board the Namo Bharat train to Meerut. After reaching the station, they learnt that service would begin at 6 pm.Undeterred, the family waited nearly six hours and bought the first ticket to Begumpul at 5.45 pm, soon after the counter opened.“Earlier, I could visit my family in Meerut’s Ganga Nagar only during my son’s school holidays. Now, I can make a quick trip and return the same day,” said Puja, an artist. After boarding the premium coach, the family clicked selfies to mark the moment. “We travelled on the Namo Bharat between Anand Vihar and Meerut South earlier, but we were keen to board from the originating station the first day,” Amit, an accountant, said.The opening day saw a steady flow of passengers at the Sarai Kale Khan station. The 82-km journey from Sarai Kale Khan to Modipuram takes about 58 minutes for Rs 210, the maximum standard fare. Passengers opting for the premium coach have to pay 20% extra. Trains are scheduled at intervals of about 8-10 minutes. Though a 55-km section covering 11 stations from New Ashok Nagar to Meerut South was operational, the entire corridor, including the originating station of Sarai Kale Khan and three stations in Uttar Pradesh — Shatabdi Nagar, Begumpul and Modipuram — were opened to the public on Sunday by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Many turned up simply for a joy ride. Mohan Rathore and his son, 12-year-old Sarthak, waited for almost seven hours at Sarai Kale Khan to board the first train. “My son and I had heard about it so much and we are excited to take a ride,” said Rathore.For many, the biggest advantage is reduced travel time. Vipin Kumar, who returned from Srinagar to Delhi, said the service would ease his commute home. “Earlier, I had to take a bus that stopped frequently and took around 2.5 hours to reach Meerut. Travelling with luggage was difficult. Now I can reach home in less than an hour.” The service is also benefits passengers boarding from the intermediate cities. Arshi Khan, a private-sector employee, said she chose the train to reach her home in Ghaziabad faster. “It helps me avoid traffic and saves time,” she said.Some families used the occasion for short leisure trips. Ravindra Kumar, a professor, travelled with his wife Sureksha Pawar and two children to Modipuram. “We wanted to experience the train for the first time, visit our relatives for dinner and return the same day,” he said.Vijay Lokesh, of Modinagar, arrived at Sarai Kale Khan from Gurgaon with his family via the Delhi Metro. “We didn’t know earlier that the Metro station and the Namo Bharat station are connected by a foot overbridge. We had walked along the road to reach the RRTS station,” he said, adding that the seamless integration would make travel far more convenient.
