Delhi-Meerut RRTS: The first train set of the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) has been dispatched from Savli in Gujarat. Soon, it will arrive at the Duhai depot in Ghaziabad, NCRTC said. Ghaziabad’s Duhai Depot is gearing up for its arrival. According to a statement issued by NCRTC, the tracks have been laid out, shades have been prepared for the workshop, and also preparations are being made for the testing of the train at Duhai Depot. Additionally, an administrative building has been developed in the Depot for the operation of the RRTS trains. Also, 11 stabling lines, two workshop lines, three Internal-Bay Lines as well as one Heavy Internal Cleaning line are being constructed for the maintenance and testing of the RRTS trains. The development of one workshop and one IBL line is in the final stage, while the construction work of the rest of the lines has been completed.
Alstom has been awarded the RRTS trains’ manufacturing contract under the Modi government’s ‘Make In India’ policy. As per this, the company would be delivering as many as 40 trainsets, including 10 three-car trainsets for the Meerut Metro system, bundled with rolling stock maintenance for a period of 15 years. The contract awarded to Alstom also includes designing, installing, supplying, testing, and commissioning Signalling and Train Control, Platform Screen Doors, Supervision, as well as Telecommunication Systems for the entire Delhi-Meerut RRTS corridor.
With their sleek and modern design, the RRTS trainsets will be lightweight equipped with a regenerative braking system and will be compatible with ATP, ATC, and ATO. The RRTS trains boast ergonomically designed 2X2 transverse seating, luggage racks, wide standing space, laptop or mobile charging facility, CCTVs, auto control ambient lighting system, dynamic route maps, HVAC and other amenities. The AC RRTS trains will have Standard and Premium class (one coach per RRTS train) along with one coach reserved for women passengers.
According to NCRTC, RRTS is the first-of-its-kind system in which trains, with 180 km per hour design speed, will be available every 5 minutes to 10 minutes and cover the distance between Delhi-Meerut in just 55 minutes. The Corporation further said with Multi-Modal-Integration, RRTS stations will have seamless integration with railway stations, metro stations, and bus depots, wherever possible. The Delhi-Meerut RRTS corridor, once operational, is estimated to reduce around 2,50,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide in vehicular emissions per year. The RRTS will have an expected daily ridership of around 8 lakh passengers. The Corporation is planning to commence trial runs on the Delhi-Meerut RRTS corridor’s priority section by the end of this year.