Report by Paridhi Agarwal
India’s first RapidX or Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) train was inaugurated on 20th October 2023 by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.
The train named NaMo Bharat will be currently covering a distance of 17 km between Sahibabad and Duhai depot.
This stretch is a part of an 82.15 km corridor from Delhi to Meerut. The rest of the corridor is expected to be opened by June 2025.
The 5 stations in inaugurated section include –
· Sahibabad
· Ghaziabad
· Gulhar
· Duhai
· Duhai Depot
This Delhi to Meerut corridor is one of the three rapid rail corridors to be constructed under Phase I of this project. This corridor, being constructed at a cost of ₹ 30,274 crores, will have a total of 22 stations including 2 depots (a place where trains are kept for maintenance and are dispatched for service) at Duhai and Modipuram.
RAPIDX has a design speed of 180 km per hour and an operational speed of 160 km per hour. According to the press released by PIB, a total of eight RRTS corridors have been identified to be developed in 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.
Out of the entire length, 68.03 km consists of elevated sections, 14.12 km is underground, and 1.45 km is at ground level which acts as a link for the two depots at Duhai and Modipuram. In heavily populated areas of Delhi and Meerut the path will be underground adjacent to the Yamuna River.
The 38.05 km long Sahibabad to Meerut South section (including Duhai Depot) and the 16.60 km Hazrat Nizamuddin to Sahibabad are expected to be operational from January 2024. The remaining 37.40 km long Meerut South to Modipuram will be operational in July 2024.
The trains are being manufactured by a company manufacturing plant in Savli, Gujarat of a company called Alstom.
Image Credit: Alstom