NEW DELHI: Come 2025 and Delhiites will be able to travel business class to Meerut in less than an hour.
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs on Friday unveiled the look of India’s first Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) train. The train that will run on the 82-km Delhi-Ghaziabad- Meerut corridor can attain a top speed of 180 kmph.
It will have six coaches of which one will be reserved for women. It will also have a special business class coach with spacious, comfortable and reclining seats which will be accessible through a special lounge at the platform-level.
Once the RRTS corridor opens, the travel time will be reduced from 4 hours to 45-55 minutes. The prototype is scheduled to roll off the production line in 2022 and will be put into public use after extensive trials. The 17-km priority corridor of Delhi-Merrut RRTS from Sahibabad to Duhai will be operational in 2023 and the entire corridor will be operational in 2025.
RRTS train to have transverse 2x2 seating with adequate legroom, space for standing passengers
The aerodynamic trains with a radiating stainless steel outer body will be manufactured at Bombardier’s plant in Savli, Gujarat, under the Centre’s Make in India initiative. The train’s design is inspired by the iconic Lotus Temple.
The rolling stock will have lighting and temperature control systems to enhance the passenger experience with less energy consumption.
The RRTS train will have transverse 2x2 seating with adequate legroom, space for standing passengers, overhead luggage rack, mobile/laptop charging sockets and wi-fi, among other facilities. Each car will have six automatic plug-in type wide doors, three on each side for ease of access and exit. The business class will have four such doors, two on each side.
“Equipped with modern amenities, the RRTS rolling stock will be a unique amalgamation of new-age technology and India’s rich heritage,” said an official. Unveiling the train’s first look, Durga Shanker Mishra, Secretary, MoHUA, said, “It is a matter of great pride that these high-speed, high-frequency commuter trains for RRTS are entirely being manufactured under the government’s ‘Make in India’ policy.
The environment friendly, energy-efficient trains will improve the quality of life in and around NCR by accelerating economic growth, creating economic opportunities and at the same time reducing air pollution, carbon footprint, congestion and accidents.” “The RRTS rolling stock will be energy-efficient with about 30% regeneration during braking.
I am confident that RRTS will prove to be transport backbone for the people of NCR and will define a new benchmark in the transport sector enabling the overall growth of the region,” said Vinay Kumar Singh, MD, National Capital Regional Transport Corporation. The NCRTC will procure 30 train sets for the entire corridor and 10 train sets of 3 cars each for operating local transit services in Meerut. Further, unlike Metro trains, the RRTS cars will have push buttons for opening the doors and automatic plug-in type wide doors, reducing air-friction and noise. “This eliminates the requirement of opening all doors at every station, thus leading to energy saving,” said an official. Civil construction work on about 50-km long section between Sahibabad and Shatabdi Nagar, Meerut, is already in full swing.