Delhi-Meerut Rapid Rail: First 'Make-in-India' RRTS train reaches Ghaziabad, trials to begin soon

Image: Metro Rail Today

The first set of India-made semi-high speed train under the Rapid Rail Transit System (RRTS) has reached Duhai depot in Ghaziabad. Made by Alstom, the trainset was dispatched from Savli in Gujarat on June 3 and has been received by National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) on Monday, after travelling by road for 10 days. India's first RRTS, a rail-based, high-speed, high-frequency regional commuter transport system, is being built by NCRTC and will connect Delhi and Meerut on the the Sarai Kale Khan-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor.  

"The aerodynamic RRTS train set was loaded on a trailer at the manufacturing factory of Alstom in Gujarat and will be brought to the Duhai Depot in Ghaziabad via road," the NCRTC statement said. The first train set of RRTS was handed over to the NCRTC on May 7 at an event organised at the manufacturing unit in Savli in the Vadodara district.

[RRTS Updates] @OfficialNCRTC has received its first semi-high-speed 'Make in India' train set at Duhai Depot today. The train was supplied by @AlstomIndia and manufactured at Savli Coch Facility Centre, Vadodara, Gujarat.#RRTS #RollingStock pic.twitter.com/GTm0HDNUQP — Metro Rail Today (@metrorailtoday) June 13, 2022

The statement said the Duhai depot is gearing up for its arrival. "The tracks have been laid out; shades have been prepared for the workshop, and preparations are being made for the testing of the train at the depot. For the operation of the RRTS trains, an administrative building has also been constructed at the depot," the statement read.

It added that for the testing and the maintenance of the RRTS trains, 11 stabling lines, two workshop lines, and three Internal-Bay Lines (IBL) are being constructed. Alstom has been awarded the contract of manufacturing the RRTS trains under Make In India, as per which they would be delivering 40 train sets, including 10 three-car train sets for Meerut Metro, bundled with rolling stock maintenance for 15 years, the statement said.

The 17-km priority section between Sahibabad and Duhai is targeted to be commissioned by 2023 and the full corridor by 2025.

With inputs from PTI