Delhi-Meerut Rapidx train fares to be unveiled soon

Last month, NCRTC sent a proposal to the ministry of housing and urban affairs outlining the fare structure.

The Centre is likely to finalise soon the fare structure of the upcoming Rapidx trains and its launch date for the priority section, National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) officials aware of the matter said on Tuesday.

The priority section runs from Sahibabad to Duhai in Ghaziabad, and is part of a 82km stretch from Sarai Kale Khan in Delhi to Modipuram in Meerut . (HT Photo)

Last month, NCRTC sent a proposal to the ministry of housing and urban affairs outlining the fare structure, the officials said.

While a fixed date for the opening of the 17km priority section of the Rapid Rail Transport System (RRTS) in Ghaziabad is yet to be officially announced, officials said that preparation are in the final phase for a June-end launch, as has been suggested by Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath at several political rallies last month.

However, in order to start operations in June-end, a final date will have to be announced within a week, the officials added.

The priority section runs from Sahibabad to Duhai in Ghaziabad, and is part of a 82km stretch from Sarai Kale Khan in Delhi to Modipuram in Meerut .

“Since the priority section is ready for commissioning, we will be revealing the fare structure soon. Extensive research has been done to fix the fares based on multiple factors, including international standards, existing fares of other public transport options and the unique regional rail experience that will be offered. For passengers, it is different from any existing train or metro system as it will offer higher speed, frequency and reliability. Unlike informal modes, it will also give more safety during commute and comfort,” said Puneet Vats, chief public relations officer, NCRTC.

According to the detailed project report of RRTS prepared in 2009, it proposes an initial fare of ₹2 per kilometre, taking the fare for the entire trip to around ₹165. For the priority section, this would make the fare ₹34. However, officials said that there may be some variation in prices based on inflation and other costs.

“The DPR was prepared and approved around 15 years ago. There will be some changes to the final fares that will be approved, but these have been rationalised keeping other existing public transport options in mind to make Rapidx a viable alternative,” said an NCRTC official, asking not to be named.

Vats said that over the past one year, IIM-Ahmedabad has been engaged to suggest fares for Rapidx. It conducted extensive research on international regional transit models and compared the fares with locally available transit options and has suggested a tariff structure for all stations to the NCRTC board.

An analysis of the fare structure of the existing modes of public transport between Delhi and Meerut shows that the Rapidx fares will have to be less than ₹200 for it to be viable for regular commuters to shift to the new rail system.

The tickets for a private AC bus from Delhi to Meerut cost around ₹300 for a two-hour journey. There are multiple private bus services available from the three ISBTs at Kashmere Gate, Anand Vihar and Sarai Kale Khan. There are also around 7-8 trains that run daily between the two cities. An average AC chair car ticket is around ₹500-600 for a journey of one hour and 15 minutes by train. Meanwhile, the new Vande Bharat train from Delhi to Dehradun also has a stoppage in Meerut. The 58-minute journey costs ₹485 for normal tickets and ₹905 for executive class.

In comparison, the entire Delhi-Meerut trip will take 43 minutes and the trains will be available at a frequency of 5-10 minutes once operation along the entire corridor starts, officials said.

The fares for metro and other such transit systems were earlier fixed by a fare fixation committee. However, the Metro Railway (Operations and Maintenance) Act, 2002, now allows the management of a new system to fix fares. In this case, the fares will be announced after final approval from the NCRTC board.

“The Rapidx network will also act as the local metro within Meerut. This has also been an important factor is deciding the fares that need to be comparable with metro systems as well,” Vats said.