The first look of Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) trains was unveiled here on Friday. The state-of-the-art RRTS rolling stock will be the first-of-its-kind in the country with a design speed of 180 kmph, said the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC).
The entire rolling stock for the 82-km-long Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor, the first such corridor being implemented in India aimed to bring down travel time between Delhi and Meerut to an hour (one-third of the 3-4 hours taken by road), will be manufactured at Bombardier’s Savli plant in Gujarat.
The prototype is scheduled to roll off the production line in 2022 and will be put into public use after extensive trials. The NCRTC will procure 30 train sets of six cars each for operating regional rail services on the entire corridor and 10 train sets of three cars each for operating local transit services in Meerut.
“Infrastructure is one of the five pillars of Atma Nirbhar Bharat envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 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,” said Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) Secretary Durga Shanker Mishra, while unveiling the train’s first look.
Economic boost
He added that the environment friendly and energy-efficient trains would improve the quality of life in and around the NCR by accelerating economic growth, creating economic opportunities and at the same time reducing air pollution, carbon footprint, congestion, and accidents.
“RRTS rolling stock will be energy-efficient with about 30% regeneration during braking. NCRTC has awarded the rolling stock work with an integrated long term comprehensive maintenance by the manufacturer, thus leveraging the benefits of life cycle costing. 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 NCRTC Managing Director Vinay Kumar Singh.
Inside-out
According to the NCRTC, the RRTS trains have radiating stainless steel outer bodies, are aerodynamic, lightweight and fully air-conditioned. Each car will have six automatic plug-in type wide doors — three on each side — along with a Business Class coach, which will have two doors on each side.
The RRTS trains will have transverse 2x2 seating with adequate legroom, optimised aisle width with grab handles and grab poles for a comfortable journey for standing passengers, overhead luggage rack, mobile and laptop charging sockets as well as onboard Wi-Fi among other commuter-centric features. They will also be equipped with lighting and temperature control systems and dedicated wheelchair space located near the train doorway for easy access.
According to the NCRTC, designed keeping in mind high-acceleration and high-deceleration that the train needs to undergo given the maximum operational speed of 160 kmph and stations at every 5-10 km, trains would run under Automatic Train Operation (ATO) to provide a smooth ride with precise stopping accuracy and will also save energy.
Push buttons for the selective opening of doors on need basis will also be provided to eliminate the requirement of opening all doors at every station. A Business Class per train will have spacious reclining seats, which will be accessible through a special lounge at the platform-level in addition to one reserved coach in every train for women passengers.
One of the three prioritised RRTS corridors being implemented in phase-1 where construction is on in full swing, civil construction work on about 50-km long section of the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS, between Sahibabad and Shatabdi Nagar in Meerut is on in full swing, including the construction of four stations — Ghaziabad, Sahibabad, Guldhar and Duhai. The priority section of the corridor is targeted to be commissioned in 2023 while the entire corridor will be commissioned in 2025.
According to the NCRTC, while pre-construction activities are under way on the Delhi-Gurugram-SNB corridor and its DPR is under active consideration for sanction by the Centre, the Detailed Project Report of the Delhi to Panipat RRTS corridor is also under active consideration of the respective State governments for approval.
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