NEW DELHI: In a step towards connecting Delhi to India’s first Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS), NCRTC commenced trial runs on the Sahibabad–New Ashok Nagar section of the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor on Saturday.
This marked a milestone, as the Namo Bharat train service is now entering Delhi, linking the corridor’s city section to the already operational section from Sahibabad to Meerut South.
NCRTC MD, Shalabh Goel was present on the occasion with senior officers to witness this moment. The train was operated manually to check the civil structure compatibility in the trials.
As testing advances, NCRTC will carry out comprehensive evaluations to assess the train’s integrated performance and its coordination with various subsystems such as tracks, signalling, Platform Screen Doors (PSDs), and overhead power supply systems. Extensive trial runs, including high-speed tests, are planned over the next few months.
This 12 km stretch of the corridor is going to connect Sahibabad RRTS station in Uttar Pradesh to New Ashok Nagar and Anand Vihar stations in Delhi. Once operational, it will offer commuters a fast and efficient travel option between New Ashok Nagar and Meerut, reducing the travel time to less than 40 minutes.
Anand Vihar RRTS station is expected to become one of the busiest commuter transit hubs, with significant daily footfall due to its proximity to the Anand Vihar Metro Station, which serves two Metro lines, a railway station, and two ISBTs one on the Delhi side and the other at Kaushambi, Uttar Pradesh. The NCRTC ensures the seamless integration of these various transit modes to provide commuters with effortless convenience and accessibility, making Anand Vihar RRTS station a model for multi-modal integration.
The New Ashok Nagar RRTS station is located less than 100 meters from the New Ashok Nagar Metro Station. To integrate these two transport modes, the NCRTC will provide a footbridge (FOB) connecting the concourse level of the Metro station to the concourse of the RRTS station.
Additionally, two more FOBs will enhance accessibility at the New Ashok Nagar RRTS station: one will connect Chilla Village and Mayur Vihar Extension, while the other will be located near the Ancient Shiv Temple, facilitating easy access for New Ashok Nagar residents. These measures will provide convenient access for the residents of New Ashok Nagar.