Alstom all set to roll-out first RRTS train from Savli for Delhi-Meerut RRTS project

Vadodara, India (Metro Rail Today): The first trainset of India’s First RRTS corridor is ready and will be handed over to the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) on 7 May 202 in a function to be held in presence of the Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Govt. of India. Under the Make in India initiative, 100 percent of these state-of-the-art RRTS train sets are being manufactured in India, at the Alstom’s factory in Savli, Gujarat.

After the handing over of the trains to NCRTC by Alstom, these trainsets will be brought on the large trailers to the Duhai depot being developed at Ghaziabad at a rapid pace for the Delhi – Ghaziabad – Meerut RRTS corridor. All facilities of operation and maintenance of these trainsets are nearing completion at this depot.

A ceremony of handing over the manufactured trainsets to NCRTC is being organised at the manufacturing plant of Alstom (earlier Bombardier) on Saturday, where the keys of the RRTS trainsets will be handed over to NCRTC.

The interiors along with the commuter-centric features of India’s first RRTS trains have recently unveiled on March 16, 2022, at the Duhai Depot, Ghaziabad. These RRTS trains will be the fastest trains in India with a design speed of 180km/h, operational speed of 160km/h and an average speed of 100 km /h.

The modern RRTS trains will have ergonomically designed 2x2 transverse cushioned seating, wide standing space, luggage racks, CCTV cameras, laptop/mobile charging facility, dynamic route maps, auto control ambient lighting system, Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning System (HVAC) and other amenities. The air-conditioned RRTS trains will have Standard as well as Premium class (one coach per train) along with one coach reserved for women commuters.

The manufacturing facility at Savli will be delivering a total of 210 cars for the first RRTS corridor. This includes trainsets for operating regional transit services on the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut corridor and for local transit services in Meerut

The construction work on the RRTS corridor is going in full swing. After the arrival of the trains, initial trial runs are expected to commence on the priority section by the end of this year. The 17 km Priority Section, between Sahibabad to Duhai, is targeted to be commissioned by 2023 and the full corridor by 2025.

"The manufacturing and delivery of the trains are progressing as per the timeline. NCRTC is gearing up for commencing the trial run on the 17-km long priority section between Sahibabad and Duhai this year while the section will be open for commuters early next year," said an official from Alstom.

The contract for manufacturing and maintenance of 210 commuter and intracity coaches for the Delhi–Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System was awarded to Bombardier Transportation in 2020. The contract was valued at approximately Rs 2,577 crore ($340 million) and has a provision to exercise an option of placing an order for additional 90 cars. Later, Bombardier was acquired by Alstom.

The 82.15-kilometre Delhi-Meerut RRTS will boast a 180kmph design speed, the first of its kind rolling stock in India for the regional transit system. The trains will be available every 5-10 minutes and cover the distance between Delhi and Meerut in 55 minutes with 14 stoppages. The daily expected ridership of the corridor is around 800,000 passengers. The infrastructure will also be used for providing local transit services between Meerut South and Modipuram Depot Station with 13 stations (including four common stations for both RRTS and Metro- Meerut South, Shatabdi Nagar, Begumpul and Modipuram) over a 21 km distance.