Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the ‘priority section’ of Regional Rapid Transit System, marking the launch of India’s first mass rapid system on Friday. The 82-km-long rail project will reduce the journey time between Delhi and Meerut to less than an hour with 16 intermediate stations. If you are curious to know about the mass transport model and its operation, we have all your boxes ticked.What is the regional rapid transit model? The transit model is a rail based system to ensure better connectivity across Delhi NCR for “balanced and sustainable urban development.” It will enable a train to move with a speed of 180 km per hour. The concept is however not new; the Indian Railways in 1998-99 studied the semi high-speed rail connectivity. After analysis and execution plans, it was taken off in 2006 by National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB). Currently the planning board has identified 8 corridors to connect NCR towns with rail-based commuter transit services.