One coach on RapidX trains to be reserved for women, says NCRTC

These facilities and provisions will be implemented in the priority section and will be replicated as and when the other sections open to passenger operations, said officials

Outlining the facilities for women on the 17km priority section of Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS), the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) said on Tuesday that a total of 82 seats will be reserved for women passengers on the six-coach RapidX trains.

An RRTS train goes from Sahibabad to Duhai in Ghaziabad on Wednesday. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

“One coach with 72 seats will be exclusive to women passengers. This will be the second coach, when the train moves towards Meerut from Delhi, and it will be the second last coach when the train returns from Meerut. Apart from that, two seats each in the other five coaches will be reserved for women,” said Puneet Vats, chief public relations officer, NCRTC.

Proper signage will be provided for identification of the women coach on all platforms and on the train door openings, he said.

The 17km priority section in Ghaziabad will be the first RRTS stretch in the country to commence passenger operations and is scheduled for inauguration in the coming weeks, said NCRTC.

NCRTC officials said the first coach of the train will be premium class and two seats will be reserved for women on this coach as well. For women safety, the trains will have four CCTV cameras in each coach, they said.

“Further, a train attendant will be present on each trains. These facilities and provisions will be implemented in the priority section and will be replicated as and when the other sections open to passenger operations,” said the official.

The NCRTC has proposed to run 30 trains between Delhi and Meerut, while 10 more will function as local metro in Meerut. The trainsets are getting manufactured under ‘Make in India’ initiative at a manufacturing facility in Savli, Gujarat.

Officials said each of the coach of the RapidX trains will have three doors on either side and an “assistance button” within the coach that can be used by passengers and women in case of an emergency. This button will also help passengers to speak with the train controller.

The official added that women will have separate queues inside stations for entry/checking, similar to the facility available at Delhi Metro stations.

The 82km RRTS project is being built at a cost of ₹30,274 crore and is scheduled to get commissioned by March, 2025. The entire corridor has 25 stations with 22 falling in Uttar Pradesh.

“Ten trainsets which have been received so far and are stationed at the Duhai Depot in Ghaziabad.This depot has capacity to hold 13 trains for maintenance and operations. We have another depot coming up in Modipuram in Meerut and it has double the capacity of Duhai Depot,” the NCRTC official quoted above said.

Of the 25 stations, five stations are on the 17km priority section in Ghaziabad. The Ghaziabad district has eight RRTS stations in all, along the median of the Delhi Meerut Road.