Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated to the nation the 17km-long stretch of India's first Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) on the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut corridor on Friday. Of the 82.15 km Delhi-Meerut RRTS corridor, the 17-km priority section between Sahibabad and Duhai Depot will be open to the public on Saturday.
RapidX renamed to Namo Bharat
Meanwhile, union minister Hardeep Singh Puri announced that the trains of RRTS would be known as 'Namo Bharat'.
“The priority corridor of the RRTS project related to the aspirations of crores of people is ready to get on track. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate it to the nation on October 20. The Regional Rapid Transit System of the country will be known as ‘Namo Bharat'," Puri wrote on X.
Earlier in April, the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC), which is developing India's first semi-high-speed regional rail service project had named RRTS trains as 'RAPIDX'
RRTS route:
The priority section will have five stations -- Sahibabad, Ghaziabad, Guldhar, Duhai and Duhai Depot. With the train service operational, the travel time between Sahibabad and Duhai Depot will be 12 minutes, which would usually take around 30-35 minutes by road.
A total of eight RRTS corridors have been identified to be to be developed in the National Capital Region (NCR), out of which three corridors have been prioritised to be implemented in Phase-I including Delhi - Ghaziabad - Meerut Corridor; Delhi - Gurugram - SNB - Alwar Corridor; and Delhi - Panipat Corridor.
{{/usCountry}}A total of eight RRTS corridors have been identified to be to be developed in the National Capital Region (NCR), out of which three corridors have been prioritised to be implemented in Phase-I including Delhi - Ghaziabad - Meerut Corridor; Delhi - Gurugram - SNB - Alwar Corridor; and Delhi - Panipat Corridor.
{{/usCountry}}The Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Corridor is the first RRTS project being implemented in India, and will be closely followed by the Delhi-Gurugram-SNB-Alwar and Delhi-Panipat corridors.
RRTS fare:
According to NCRTC, the ticket fare for the priority section between Sahibabad to Duhai depot is ₹50 for Standard Class while for the Premium class the ticket on this route will cost ₹100.
Developed by the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC), a joint venture of the Government of India and governments of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, at at a cost of more than ₹30,000 crore, it will connect Delhi to Meerut in less than an hour of travel time going through the urban centres of Ghaziabad, Muradnagar, and Modinagar. The foundation of the 82.15-km-long Delhi-Meerut corridor was laid by PM Modi in March 2019 and is likely to be completed by 2025.
RRTS features:
The trains are equipped with hi-end technology features and passenger amenities like overhead luggage racks, CCTV cameras, an emergency door-opening mechanism, push-button facility, Wi-Fi, mobile and laptop charging facility at every seat. The trains will also come equipped with a vending machine facility.
Every train will have six coaches, including a premium coach with wider seats, more legroom, and coat hangers. Additionally, one coach in every train is reserved for women which is located next to the premium coach.
The train will also facilitate the movement of patients as one general coach in each train will have the space to accommodate a medical stretcher and a wheelchair.
The PMO said the system was aimed at providing high-speed trains for intercity commuting. It informed me there would be a train every 15 minutes. This frequency can be increased to every five minutes.
The PMO in its release said that the RRTS would be better than conventional railways as it will provide reliable, high-frequency, point-to-point regional travel and will cater to passengers who travel a comparatively longer distance with fewer stops and at a higher speed unlike the metros.
With inputs from agencies