NEW DELHI: The 17 km priority section on the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor is set to be launched on October 20 with Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurating the RAPIDX service. The priority section is Sahibabad to Duhai Depot which includes 4 elevated stations -- Sahibabad, Ghaziabad, Guldhar, and Duhai Depot.
The PM, along with Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath, are likely to take a ride on the RRTS train at Sahibabad. They will return to Sahibabad on the same train after reaching Duhai Depot.
The RRTS project is being executed by the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC). According to NCRTC, “In another six months from now, 25 km more will be added to the RAPIDX network. Stations at Muradnagar, Modinagar North, Modinagar South, and Meerut South will be ready for operations.”
The Delhi-Meerut RRTS corridor will cover 82 kilometres in just an hour’s time once it is completed in 2025. NCRTC officials added that the RAPIDX services will be the nation’s first railway system with a maximum operational speed of 160 kmph along its entire length.
The average speed of RAPIDX trains on the RRTS route will be 100 kmph, surpassing both metro trains and Indian Railway s ’ passenger trains. The train will ply on these routes every 15 minutes. Manufactured by Alstom in Gujarat, an RRTS trainset will feature six coaches, including one premium coach, with separate entry and exit on the platform.
All the coaches are being equipped with a passenger information system. Construction on the service began in June 2019. Commissioning of the full 82.15 km corridor, along with metro services in Meerut, is scheduled for June 2025.