DB RRTS Operations takes over operation & maintenance of Delhi-Meerut RapidX Corridor

New Delhi, India (Metro Rail Today): The 17-km priority section of Delhi-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) Corridor is all set for commissioning to the public services. The RRTS corridor is being implemented by a special purpose vehicle named National Capital Region Transport Corporation Limited (NCRTC) under the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affiars (MoHUA) and respective state Governments. Before commissioning of the 17-km stretch beween Ghaziabad to Duhai, the project is handed over to DB RRTS Operations India Private Limited (A subsidiary compnay of Deutsche Bahn E.C.O. Group) for operations & maintennace of RapidX trains for a period of 12 years.

The 17-km priority stretch of Delhi-Meerut RRTS corridor was slotted to open to the public by March 2023. This section will have a total of five RRTS stations at Sahibabad, Ghaziabad , Guldhar, Duhai and Duhai Depot.

"Priority section of the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor between Sahibabad to Duhai Depot is ready for operations. As per the project timelines, this section with five stations Sahibabad, Ghaziabad , Guldhar, Duhai and Duhai Depot is to be operationalised by June 2023. However, it’s now ready for commissioning in May 2023," said NCRTC officials.

"Due testing of system has been done and trial runs of RAPIDX trains have been successfully completed. The system has also been taken over by M/s. Deutsche Bahn India for operations & maintenance," they added.

In July 2022, NCRTC had awarded a contract worth Rs 14,93,08,71,761.00 (Rs 1,493.08 crore) to DB Engineering & Consulting (International Operations) for Operations & Maintenance of the 82.15 km Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) for a period of 12 years.

"The rapid transit network will cover 82 kilometers, 25 stations and two depots. The twelve-year contract is worth over a hundred million. DB IO will operate 40 RRTS trains on the Delhi-Meerut RRTS corridor and will also be responsible for maintaining the rail infrastructure. Once fully operational, the network is expected to carry more than 800,000 passengers a day. Operations will be launched in stages beginning in 2023," said DB Internationa Operations statement.

“At NCRTC, we are looking forward to a mutually beneficial partnership with DB. The RRTS project will benefit from the global expertise and experience of DB in tech-driven operations & predictive maintenance which will help in providing comfortable and safe commute to the passengers. This partnership will bring about a paradigm shift in the O&M of rail-based transit in India which will open up new opportunities for DB. I believe that RRTS, which is a flagship project of the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, will begin a new chapter for the rail-based transport system in our country.”, said Vinay Kumar Singh, Managing Director, NCRTC.

The french multinational company Alstom Transport is supplying semi-high speed RapidX trains for NCRTC. The trains are being manufactured at Alstom's Savli Coach Facility Centre, Vadodara, Gujarat under "Make in India" mission of Govt. of India.

The Delhi-Meerut RRTS corridor will be equipped with state-of-the-art ETCS Level 2/Hybrid Level 3 technology in combination with automatic train operation (ATO). It allows for train communications based on LTE technology, which is much more effective than conventional GSM. The project is one of the first in the world to use the technology.

The new regional rapid transit system will cut travel times between Delhi and Meerut by about 70%. This will benefit millions of commuters and, with air pollution at hazardous levels in many Indian cities, it will benefit the climate and public health as well. The rapid transit system is being introduced as part of a Comprehensive Action Plan (CAP) to control air pollution in Delhi and the National Capital Region.

For more details, please explore the Delhi-Meerut RRTS page of Metro Rail Today.