NCRTC Unveils State-of-The-Art RRTS Train At Ghaziabad

National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) has unveiled state-of-the-art commuter-centric features of the modern RRTS (Regional Rapid Transit System) train, showcasing the interiors of India’s first regional rail at its Duhai depot in Ghaziabad.

The modern RRTS trains will have ergonomically designed 2×2 transverse seating, wide standing space, luggage racks, CCTV cameras, laptop/mobile charging facility, and dynamic route maps among other amenities.

“We have always prioritised commuter convenience since the inception of the country’s first RRTS project. Our teams have studied the commuter needs for regional travel and worked on providing several customised amenities which will go a long way in providing a reliable mode of travel, NCRTC MD Vinay Kumar Singh said.

The trains would be equipped with an auto control ambient lighting system, heating ventilation and air conditioning system (HVAC) and other amenities.

The air-conditioned RRTS trains will have standard as well as premium class (one coach per train) along with one coach reserved for women commuters.

Singh said, “The entire infrastructure, be it trains or stations, have been designed to ensure safety, ease of access, and travel comfort for commuters. RRTS will be the first choice of people for safe and efficient regional commute.”

Trainsets for RRTS are being manufactured in India under the Make-in-India guidelines,. These world-class trainsets are being manufactured at an Alstom (earlier Bombardier) factory located at Savli in Gujarat.

The delivery of these semi high-speed aerodynamic trainsets, with distributed power, will start soon in the coming months. The manufacturing facility at Savli will be delivering a total of 210 cars for the first RRTS corridor. This includes trainsets for operating regional transit services on the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut corridor and for local transit services in Meerut.

This year, NCRTC will begin trial runs on the priority section of the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor.

RRTS is the first-of-its-kind system in which trains, with a design speed of 180 kmph, and will be available every 5-10 minutes and cover the distance between Delhi and Meerut in 55 minutes with 14 stoppages.

RRTS stations will have seamless integration with metro stations, railway stations, bus depots, wherever possible. RRTS will bring people and places closer across the National Capital Region and further enable sustainable and balanced development of the region.

Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor is estimated to reduce about 250,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year. RRTS will prove to be the most energy-efficient futuristic transit system which will bring in a new era of seamlessly connected mega regions and set a new benchmark for similar projects in the future.

The work on the entire 82-km long Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor is in full swing, which will have 25 stations in total, including two depots at Duhai and Modipuram and one stabling yard at Jangpura. Recently, the 22nd launching gantry was installed on the corridor and more than 14,000 workers and more than 1,100 engineers are engaged in the construction work, day and night.

NCRTC has completed about 80 per cent of the foundation work of the elevated section. More than 1,400 piers on a 40 km stretch and 18 km of viaduct have been constructed so far, most of which is in the priority section.

The 17 km priority section, between Sahibabad to Duhai, is targeted to be commissioned by 2023 and the full corridor by 2025. The civil work on the priority section, having a total of five stations, is nearing completion. Track laying activities along with overhead electrical equipment (OHE) installation are going on the elevated viaduct. All the five RRTS stations in the priority section – Sahibabad, Ghaziabad, Guldhar, Duhai and Duhai Depot – have started taking shape.

The Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut corridor RRTS corridor is expected to have a daily ridership of around 8 lakh passengers.