RRTS project: Priority section to get energised by mid-Oct for high-speed train trials

Ghaziabad: The work for energising the electrical overhead equipment (OHE) for running of the rapid trains on the priority section of the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) corridor is likely to be completed by mid-October and will pave way for trial runs which are likely to start in November this year

Ghaziabad: The work for energising the electrical overhead equipment (OHE) for running of the rapid trains on the priority section of the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) corridor is likely to be completed by mid-October and will pave way for trial runs which are likely to start in November this year.

Ghaziabad, India - September 22, 2022: Rapid rail construction work underway at Sahiban, in Ghaziabad, India, on Thursday, September 22, 2022. (Photo by Sakib Ali /Hindustan Times)

The National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) has undertaken the RRTS project, pegged at ₹30,274 crore, and the 82-kilometre-long corridor, comprising 25 stations and three depots, will run high-speed trains to ferry passengers between the three cities of Delhi, Ghaziabad and Meerut by March 2025. A 17-km priority section is being developed in Ghaziabad and this will be the country’s first RRTS section to be functional in March 2023.

“The installation of OHE is taken up at a fast pace and energising the OHE lines for running of trains are likely to be completed by the mid of October. It will help in conducting the trial runs of the RRTS trains. For energising the 17-km priority section in Ghaziabad, we have come up with a receiver substation (RSS) near river Hindon. It will receive electricity from the grid and supply power for the operation of the rapid trains, stations and depots,” said Puneet Vats, NCRTC chief public relations officer.

The 17-km priority section in Ghaziabad is getting developed entirely on an elevated corridor and spans Sahibabad to Duhai with five RRTS stations and one depot.

NCRTC officials said that the entire 82-km RRTS corridor will receive electricity through five receiver sub stations (RSS) which are getting developed at Sarai Kale Khan in Delhi, Ghaziabad city, Muradnagar (Ghaziabad) and at Modipuram and Shatabdi Nagar in Meerut.

The high-speed state-of-art RRTS trains have a design speed of 180 kilometres per hour (kmph), while the operational speed will be around 100kmph.

The NCRTC has also planned a host of measures to save energy and generate about 10 million units of power annually by the year 2025, when the RRTS project gets fully commissioned.

Officials said that the rolling stock (RRTS trains) have an in-built concept of ‘regenerative braking’ which will reduce power consumption during braking and the power saved will be sent back to the grid.

“By way of regenerative braking, we are expecting to save about 30% electricity during train operations. Further, in order to save electricity, we have planned installation of solar rooftop panels on stations, depots and administrative buildings. With this, we will be generating about 11 megawatts (MW) of solar power on the entire 82-km corridor and this will help reduce consumption of regular electricity,” Vats added.

The NCRTC is building all its power sub-stations in accordance with the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) standards, including rainwater harvesting, sewage treatment plants, green areas, and use of LED bulbs, natural light and air-ventilated buildings.