India’s first rapid rail service will be operational in three weeks

New Delhi (IANS) India’s first rapid rail service will be operational in three weeks. From March 2023, the country’s first rapid rail with amenities comparable to an airplane will run from Sahibabad in Ghaziabad to Duhai Depot.

It will travel at a speed of 180 km per hour on a 17-kilometer stretch of Sahibabad, Ghaziabad, Guldhar, Duhai, and Duhai depot. The tickets will be available for this train via mobile phones and cards.

The track on the section has been laid and the work of installation of the overhead line equipment is almost done.

A unique facility that the train will be extending is that a stretcher has been arranged in its last compartment. If a patient is referred from Meerut to Delhi, then a separate coach will be arranged for the same, so that they can be transported at a lower cost of travel.

In addition, separate coaches for women have been arranged, as have separate seats for the disabled, which can be folded when not in use.

Adjustable chairs and special arrangements have been made for standing passengers on the train.

More facilities are available on the train like Luggage storage, driver interaction system, dynamic route map, CCTV, Wi-Fi, mobile USB charging, huge windows, integrated air conditioning, automatic door control etc.

Arrangements have been made for parking 13 trains in Duhai yard, so preparations are being made to operate only 13 rapid trains in the first phase, whereas after the construction of the entire route between Delhi and Meerut, a total of 30 rapid trains will be operated.

At Duhai Yard in Ghaziabad, the Rapid Rail Corridors Operation and Command Control Center is being constructed. All rapid trains operating along the whole route will be operated and controlled from the operations center.

The project to build the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Rapid Rail Transit System (RRTS) corridor aims to relieve traffic in the National Capital Region, reduce air pollution, and promote balanced regional development.

The project to build the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Rapid Rail Transit System (RRTS) corridor aims to relieve traffic in the National Capital Region, reduce air pollution, and promote balanced regional development.

The Delhi-Meerut RRTS is a Rs 30,274 crore joint venture between the federal government and the state of Uttar Pradesh.

The Uttar Pradesh government had allocated Rs 1,326 crore for the project in the current financial year.

The RRTS project states that 24 stations will be built along the whole length.

In a recent media interview, Vinay Kumar Singh, MD of the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC), stated that by 2025, they expect that 8 lakh passengers per day will use this rapid rail.

“Our goal is that passengers from Delhi would be able to visit Meerut by rapid rail in one hour by 2025,” added Singh.

The railway fare will be fixed at about Rs 2 per kilometer, according to estimates in the Detailed Project Report (DPR). The private agency won’t be permitted to later raise the fare.

Similar to Metro, the committee that is constituted under the chairmanship of the judge will determine the fare.

There will be rapid line connectivity on seven lines of Delhi Metro which will be connected to Munirka, INA, and Aerocity.

According to RRTS, the Haryana and Delhi governments have approved the 106-kilometer route from Sarai Kale Khan to SNB for the rapid rail to be built from Sarai Kale Khan to Alwar.

The approval of the Centre is also expected soon.

Pre-construction work is currently underway so that construction can begin as soon as the approval is received.