The tunnelling work for the 82-km-long Delhi-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) project has now been completed.
The major milestone was achieved today with TBM Breakthrough of Sudarshan 4.4 at Vaishali retrieving shaft in Ghaziabad.
TBM Sudarshan breakthrough
Vinay Kumar Singh, Managing Director of the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC), which is implementing the RRTS project, initiated the breakthrough by pressing a remote button in presence of the Directors & other senior officials of the Corporation.
Vinay Kumar Singh, MD, NCRTC
The rail-based system coming up in Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) is the country’s first RRTS and has been named as RapidX. Primarily elevated for 70 km, the RapidX corridor also includes a 12-km underground section.
This includes a 5.5 km underground stretch from New Ashok Nagar in Delhi to Sahibabad in Ghaziabad, with a station at Anand Vihar in Delhi and six kilometre in Meerut, with stations at Bhainsali, Meerut (central), and Begum Pul.
The tunnelling work of the entire corridor has been completed in less than 18 months. The NCRTC will now proceed with track laying, signal installation, and overhead equipment setup in the underground section.
Every underground tunnel built for the RRTS project spans 6.5 metre in width, exceeding the standard 5.8-metre width of conventional metro systems. According to NCRTC, the broader tunnel design has been implemented to accommodate the larger RapidX trains, which are designed to operate at a speed of 180 kmph.
Further, to enhance maintenance accessibility and passenger safety in case of emergencies, cross-passages have been strategically integrated every 250 metre within these tunnels, as per official statements.
Commissioning By 2025
The Rs 30,274 crore RRTS corridor from Sarai Kale Khan in Delhi to Meerut in Uttar Pradesh is targeted for opening by March 2025. The route encompasses 25 stations, with three in Delhi, eight in Ghaziabad, and the remaining in Meerut.
Before that, the NCRTC will operationalise the priority section of 17 km in Ghaziabad, extending from Sahibabad to Duhai Depot.
The priority corridor between Sahibabad and Duhai Depot has five stations — Sahibabad, Ghaziabad, Guldhar, Duhai and Duhai Depot. The Commissioner for Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) has already approved the start of commercial operation of RapidX on the Priority Section and the formal inauguration is expected soon.