RRTS ridership soars past 5 million in UP, Delhi section to be made operational soon

The RRTS project involves a cost of ₹30,274 crore and Namo Bharat trains, housed at the Duhai Depot, have a design speed of 180kmph enabling them to cover a distance of 100km in about one hour

Ghaziabad: More than 50 lakh commuters have used the Namo Bharat train services in Uttar Pradesh since the initial section of the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) became operational in October 2023, officials said on Wednesday, adding that they are expecting a further surge in ridership once the 42km section in Uttar Pradesh gets connected to the 13km section from Sahibabad to New Ashok Nagar in New Delhi.

Namo Bharat trains run at a speed of 180kmph covering a total distance of 100km in about one hour. (HT PHOTO)

Officials familiar with the development said that the 13km section in Delhi also has an underground station at Anand Vihar and it is in the final stages of getting safety approvals from the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS).

They added that the CMRS and teams have visited the section and fine tuning of various processes is underway. Besides, the section will also see operationalisation of the first tunnel between Sahibabad and Anand Vihar. The Anand Vihar station will also be the first underground station likely to be operational soon.

The RRTS project involves a cost of ₹30,274 crore and Namo Bharat trains, housed at the Duhai Depot, have a design speed of 180kmph enabling them to cover a distance of 100km in about one hour.

Overall, the 82km RRTS project is meant to connect the three cities of Delhi, Ghaziabad and Meerut with the help of Namo Bharat trains. The entire project is scheduled to get completed by June 2025 and is expected to cater to about eight lakh daily passengers as per the project’s detailed project report (DPR).

“The safety inspections are in final stages. Our teams are working to ensure that the section connecting Ghaziabad to Delhi gets operational soon. The work is in advanced stages,” said Puneet Vats, chief PRO of the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC).

So far, the NCRTC has operationalised the 42km section in a phased manner. A first, 17km priority section, from Sahibabad to the Duhai depot, in Ghaziabad was made operational on October 23, 2023.

Another 17km section in Ghaziabad from Duhai to Modinagar (north) was operationalised on March 6, 2024. The third section from Modinagar (north) to Meerut (south) was operationalised on August 18, 2024.

NCRTC officials said that their average daily ridership was about 10,000-12,000 passengers per day when the first section was opened, and it surged to 17,000-18,000 per day when the second section was opened.

“The ridership increased to about 24,000-25,000 per day when the third section was opened and commuters got connectivity between Ghaziabad and Meerut. Once the section in Delhi gets connected to UP, we expect a further surge in ridership. With nine stations on the present 42km operational route, commuters are travelling in about 30 minutes from Meerut (south) to Sahibabad.

The remaining sections in Delhi, from New Ashok Nagar to Sarai Kale Khan, and from Meerut (south) to Modipuram, are expected to get fully operational by June 2025, officials said.

The services of Namo Bharat trains are also proposed to stretch from Ghaziabad to the upcoming international airport at Jewar.