Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS Update: All Tunnels In Meerut Section Of RAPIDX Completed

The first tunnel breakthrough in Meerut was achieved in October 2022 and with the sixth and last breakthrough, tunnelling is complete in the underground section, said NCRTC.

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The National Capital Region Transport Corporation has completed tunneling in the Meerut section of the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS, officials said on Tuesday. The underground section in Meerut comprises of three stations, namely Meerut Central, Bhainsali and Begumpul connecting the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) corridor. To connect these stations, a total of six parallel tunnels have been constructed in three segments. The sixth and last tunnel stretches over one kilometre between Bhainsali to Begumpul.

“The NCRTC team has completed the tunnelling of all three sets of parallel tunnels of the entire underground section in Meerut spanning approximately 5.5 km has been achieved within only 15 months," a statement by the corporation said. "The first tunnel breakthrough in Meerut was achieved in October 2022 and with the sixth and last breakthrough, tunnelling is complete in the underground section,” it said.

Currently, track-laying and OHE installation are being carried out in the already completed tunnels. About 35,000 pre-cast segments (pre-cast structures constructed from pre-stressed concrete) have been used for the construction of all six tunnels in Meerut.

In the tunnelling process, seven segments are combined to make one ring. Each segment is 1.5 metre long and 275 mm thick. These segments and rings are connected with the help of bolts. Among the underground stations, Meerut Central and Bhainsali will serve as metro stations, while Begumpul station will provide the services of both local metro and RAPIDX.

The NCRTC will provide local transit services and Meerut Metro on the RRTS network with 13 stations operating covering a distance of 23 km. The entire corridor is scheduled to be operational for the public by 2025.