RRTS project: Viaduct work for 1st phase of priority stretch complete
The National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC), which is developing the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) project, has completed the construction of the viaduct of one section of the 17-kilometre priority stretch (in Ghaziabad). The stretch is likely to get commissioned in March, 2023.
The 82-kilometre-long RRTS project is due to cost ₹30,274 crore and will provide highspeed connectivity between the three cities of Delhi, Ghaziabad and Meerut, while reducing the overall travelling time to about 55 minutes. The entire project is likely to be ready by March, 2025.
The priority stretch will comprise five stations, including Sahibabad, Ghaziabad, and Duhai. The construction work of the 17km stretch is being carried out in two phases, the first one from Sahibabad to Ghaziabad and the second one from Ghaziabad to Duhai. “The viaduct for the first phase was completed on Tuesday. It is joined by segments which are about 37 metres in length. The work for signalling, overhead equipment and laying of tracks is already underway and will be expedited now. The first RRTS train is expected to arrive next month and trials are likely to start by the end of this year,”
said Puneet Vats, chief public relations officer (PRO) of NCRTC.
The RRTS train coaches are being developed at a facility at Savli near Vadodara in Gujarat. The delivery of these semi highspeed aerodynamic trains, with distributed power, will begin soon, said sources.
The manufacturing facility at Savli will be delivering a total of 210 cars for the first RRTS corridor. This includes trains for operating regional transit services on the Delhi-ghaziabadmeerut corridor and for local transit services in Meerut.
“The work for the second phase of the priority stretch is also 95% complete. We faced major challenges in the first phase, which is now 100% complete. Joining the viaducts at two places – near Vasundhara and the other near Ghaziabad RRTS station – was a complex task as we had to install two major steel spans of 74 metres and 150 metres each. Despite the shortage of labour and other issues during the Covid-19 pandemic, we have been able to stick to the timelines for the priority section,” Vats added.
NCRTC officials said that the simultaneous work for the construction of RRTS stations is also going on at a rapid pace and 50% complete.
RRTS stations will have seamless integration with Metro stations, railway stations and bus depots, said sources.