Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to inaugurate the priority section of RapidX, India’s first regional rapid transport corridor, connecting major parts of the National Capital Region next week. The 17-kilometre primary section of the Delhi-Meerut RRTS corridor will have an operational speed of 160km/hr.
Executed by the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) - a joint venture of the Government of India and the States of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, the primary section will stop at Sahibabad, Ghaziabad, Guldhar, Duhai and Duhai Depot. The NCRTC on Thursday said the primary section of the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor will involve more women employees than men.
“It is noteworthy that the participation of women employees in the operations of this section will be more than that of male employees. NCRTC has taken a purposeful step towards breaking established gender norms in the transport sector by ensuring equal participation of women, which has traditionally been considered male-dominated," PTI reported quoting an NCRTC official. According to the Corporation, the priority section of RRTS is the first railway system in the country to be opened for operation covering its entire length at a maximum operating speed of 160km/hr.
Executed by the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) - a joint venture of the Government of India and the States of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, proposals for a rapid transport system connecting major parts of NCR was made way back in 1998. The Indian Railways conducted a study and identified the feasibility of an RRTS corridor in NCR. However, a functional plan for the network was developed only in 2009, by the National Capital Region Planning Board and the body identified eight corridors.
According to NCRTC, phase-1 of the corridor would have three routes covering 375 kilometres, Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut (82km), Delhi-Gurugram-SNB-Alwar (198km), Delhi-Panipat (103km). The Board also identified eight other corridors connecting Ballabhgarh, Palwal, Khurja, Bahadurgarh, Rohtak, Hapur, Shahdara and Baraut.
Swarajya reported that 10 RRTS trains ready for operations have been stationed at Duhai Depot. NCRTC said the RRTS is three times faster than the metro and has a designed speed of 180km/hr. The trains could cover 100 kilometres in less than an hour.
According to reports, in another six months, 25kms more will be added to the network and construction of the entire Delhi-Meerut corridor is expected to be completed by June 2025. Being developed at a cost of Rs 30,274 crore, NCRTC estimates approximately 8 lakh passengers would use the service every day.
