Duhai depot opens, will run RRTS solely till 2025

GHAZIABAD: The Duhai Depot of the Delhi-ghaziabad-meerut Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) corridor is now functional with state-of-the-art facilities, National Capital Region transport corporation (NCRTC) officials said on Monday.

This depot is the first one that has come up for the RRTS project, which will connect Delhi, Ghaziabad and Meerut with high-speed state-of-the-art trains.

“The Duhai depot has many features such as controlling RRTS train operations in Delhi, Ghaziabad and Meerut. This depot will handle all such train operations till the second depot comes up at Modipuram in Meerut in March 2025. Besides these two depots, a stabling yard is also scheduled to come up at Jungpura in Delhi,” said Puneet Vats, chief public relations officer of NCRTC.

A 17km stretch of the RRTS project in Ghaziabad, known as the priority section, is likely to start operations this month. The Duhai Depot is one of the facilities that has been developed as part of five stations on the priority section.

The Duhai depot has administration buildings, workshops and inspection bay lines, which have been created in less than two years. A state-of-art facility for RRTS trainsets is also functional.

The first set of six RRTS trains in the project was also assembled at the Duhai depot. Apart from the parking and maintenance facilities for the RRTS trains, the Duhai depot also houses a command-and-control centre.

“The command-and-control centre will become fully operational once it is integrated with signalling. The Duhai depot will also handle train operations on the priority section,” Vats said.

Officials said the depot will also have entry and exit points for passengers and will be used as an RRTS station.

Meanwhile, the 17km priority section from Sahibabad to Duhai is getting ready for fully integrated trial runs, which will make way for passenger operations later. The 82km RRTS project, worth ₹30,274crore, is likely to become operational in March 2025.