The construction work of the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) has entered the next phase after the commencement of the fifth tunnel near Meerut. In the past four months, the city has witnessed three tunnel breakthroughs. A total of two tunnels of 1 km each will be built between Bhainsali to Begumpul, out of which construction work has been started for one of the tunnels.

Also Read: Regional Rapid Transit System: Is RRTS better than Metro? Let’s find out

Sudarshan 8.1 Tunnel Boring Machine:-

For the construction of the fifth tunnel at Meerut, the Sudarshan 8.1 Tunnel Boring Machine will be used. In December 2022, Sudarshan 8.1 made a breakthrough near Meerut Central station after constructing a tunnel about 2 km long from Bhainsali to Meerut Central (Football Chowk).

Tunnels to be constructed:-

The Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor and Metro corridor in Meerut will have three underground stations namely Meerut Central, Bhainsali, and Begumpul. In a bid to connect all these stations, a total of six tunnels (two parallel tunnels of three parts) will be constructed.

The first parallel tunnel is being constructed between Bhainsali to Meerut Central (about 2 km), the second between Gandhi Bagh to Begumpul (about 700 m), and the third parallel tunnel from Bhainsali to Begumpul (about 1 km).

Tunnels completed:-

At present, the construction of three tunnels has been completed: one tunnel from Gandhi Bagh to Begumpul station, and two tunnels parallelly from Bhainsali to Meerut Central Station. The construction of one of the tunnels between Gandhi Bagh to Begumpul station was completed in October 2022 using Sudarshan 8.3 Tunnel Boring Machine.

Also Read: Rapid Rail Transit System: India’s first RRTS from Delhi to Meerut in three weeks! What can you expect?

For the construction of tunnels near Bhainsali to Meerut Central Station, the Sudarshan 8.2 Tunnel Boring Machine was used.

When RRTS to be completed:-

The Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) project will be completed within the stipulated time frame. The National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) will provide local transit services, Meerut Metro, in Meerut on the RRTS network, which will have 13 stations for a distance of 21 km.