Ghaziabad: Four RRTS stations on 17km priority line to be ready by mid-March

Ahead of the trial run on the country’s first Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) line in Ghaziabad, the NCR transport corporation (NCRTC) which is executing the project unveiled a fully furnished state-of-the-art RRTS train at Sahibabad station on Friday and said four of five stations on the stretch are likely to be ready by mid-March

Ahead of the trial run on the country’s first Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) line in Ghaziabad, the NCR transport corporation (NCRTC) which is executing the project unveiled a fully furnished state-of-the-art RRTS train at Sahibabad station on Friday and said four of five stations on the stretch are likely to be ready by mid-March.

Ghaziabad, India - February 24, 2023: Media preview of RRTS trains at its Sahibabad rapid rail station prior to commissioning of 17 Km priority section at Sahibabad in Ghaziabad , India on Friday, February 24. 2022. The train set will have one premium coach with recliner seats (Photo by Sakib Ali /Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

The 17km priority section in Ghaziabad extends from Sahibabad to Duhai and is part of the 82km RRTS network, which is proposed to connect three cities of Delhi, Ghaziabad and Meerutand is being built at a cost of ₹30,274 crore.

The 82km stretch is scheduled to get commissioned by March 2025 and is expected to cater to 800,000 passengers a day.

“The four stations of Sahibabad, Guldhar, Duhai and Duhai Depot are likely to be ready by mid-March while the comparatively larger Ghaziabad station will take some more time. The Ghaziabad station will be ready by the time the project is commissioned,” said an official from NCRTC, asking not to be named.

The Ghaziabad station is the biggest of the five stations and has four floors with five entry/exit points. This station is getting developed as a multimodal facility for interchange with the metro’s Red Line network in Ghaziabad. The officials said the finishing work on the Ghaziabad station is going on and two of its entry/exits will be opened to passengers initially.

The Sahibabad station has three floors with as many entry and exits while the Guldhar station has three floors with two entry/exits. This station is integrated with the Uttar Pradesh Roadways bus depot in Sahibabad.

Likewise, the Duhai station also has three floors with four entry/exits while the Duhai Depot only has a ground floor with two entry/exits.

“The work on the stations in the priority section is proceeding at a fast pace and the fully integrated trial runs are likely to start when the signalling gets synchronised with the train movement. The physical work on the signalling system has been completed. At present, NCRTC is carrying out test runs in the priority section to test various components of the line. For safe and efficient operations, every aspect of the RRTS is being thoroughly tested independently,” said Puneet Vats, chief public relations officer, NCRTC.

Unlike the other transit systems, the entry/exits at the RRTS stations will be accessible not just to RRTS passengers but also to pedestrians who can the station as a walkway to cross arterial roads without actually entering the paid area of the station.

To enhance the accessibility and ensure an easy and hassle-free journey to commuters, especially the elderly and the specially abled, multiple lifts and escalators are being installed at the stations, said NCRTC officials.

The officials said the installation of platform screen doors (PSDs) at the stations is being carried out and these will be fully integrated with the train movement.

“As a high volume of passengers is expected on the RRTS line, the NCRTC is going to create a dedicated pick-up/drop-off zone near the stations and away from the main road carriageway. A dedicated car drop-off zone is being built under the station box wherever possible so that commuters can enter the station by walking just a short distance,” said an official from NCRTC, asking not to be named.

The NCRTC on Friday also unveiled a fully furnished RRTS train at the Shaibabad station. The officials said six RRTS train sets have already arrived at the Duhai Depot station.