India’s first regional rapid transit system (RRTS) will operate trains at speed of 180km/h, cutting travel time between Meerut and Delhi to under one hour. Now the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) and manufacturer Bombardier have unveiled the design of the new rolling stock.
The unveiling of the train, inspired by Delhi’s Lotus Temple, was attended by India’s Housing and Urban Affairs Secretary, Durga Shanker Mishra, who is also the Chair of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, and Vinay Kumar Singh, Managing Director at NCRTC as well as Rajeev Joisar, Managing Director for Bombardier Transportation in India.
NCRTC awarded the contract to design, build and deliver the rolling stock for the regional rapid transit system to Bombardier earlier in 2020. The contract also includes full maintenance services for the rail corridor under RRTS Phase 1.
“These energy-efficient trains with exceptional ergonomics and low life cycle costs will contribute towards making India’s first RRTS futuristic and sustainable. Clubbed with state-of-the-art commuter centric features, RRTS is going to transform the way people travel in NCR and set a new benchmark for similar projects in the future.”
The six-car trainsets have business class seating as well as one car for women only. Each train has a capacity of around 900 in the three-car configuration, which will be used for the Meerut local transit services. When running in the six-car configuration, each train will be able to hold a maximum of 1,790. These six-car trains will travel between Delhi and Meerut. If necessary these trains can also be lengthened into nine-car trainsets.
“Bombardier is proud to be partner for NCRTC’s flagship project to deliver the new RRTS trains. These trains are being designed locally and incorporate latest technologies and features. Bombardier will deliver and maintain RRTS trains in accordance with our country’s ‘Make in India’ guidelines. These energy efficient semi-high-speed trains will enhance passenger experience in terms of comfort, safety, journey time and will be a game-changer in the regional rail segment in India benefitting millions of people and contributing towards socio-economic development.”
The regional rapid transit system will have 24 stations in total and a design speed of 180km/h, one of the fastest in the country. Daily ridership between Meerut and Delhi is expected to be around 800,000. Local rail services on the RRTS infrastructure, connecting Meerut South and Modipuram Depot Station will provide local mobility over 21km (13 stations).
The regional rapid transit system is the first in India to include maintenance services as part of the rolling stock tendering process. Bombardier along with its local teams will deliver these services for 15 years using two NCRTC depots in Duhai and Modipuram.
RRTS is India’s first project to include maintenance services as part of the rolling stock tender process and Bombardier local teams will provide maintenance services for a period of 15 years through two maintenance depots established by NCRTC in Dubai and Modipuram.
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