Delhi-Meerut Rapid Rail: Work complete on Sahibabad-Ghaziabad priority section

The last span of Package 1 is installed near the special steel span of RRTS constructed for crossing railway lines at Ghaziabad, and is a giant step in the direction of the implementation of regional rail.

Image for representation

The last span of Package 1 priority section (Sahibabad-Duhai) of the Rapid Rail Transit System (RRTS) built between Delhi and Meerut has been installed on April 26, an official statement said. The National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) statement said that with the installation of the last span, construction of the viaduct in Package 1 of the priority section of RRTS has been completed.

The construction work in the 17-km priority section (Sahibabad-Duhai) is being carried out in two packages -- Package 1 between Sahibabad to Ghaziabad and Package 2 between Ghaziabad and Duhai. The total length of the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor is 82 km and is being built by the NCRTC.

"The launch of the last span of Package 1 on the 17-km-long priority section between Sahibabad to Duhai of RRTS completed today. It is installed near the special steel span of RRTS constructed for crossing railway lines at Ghaziabad. This is a giant step in the direction of the implementation of regional rail," the NCRTC said in the statement.

It added that the pace of installation of signalling and telecom systems in both these packages will now be accelerated. The section will have five stations: Sahibabad, Ghaziabad, Guldhar, Duhai, and Duhai Depot.

"The civil work of the priority section was started in June 2019 and despite two waves of Covid-19, the construction work is nearing completion within just three years in this section," the statement said.

Currently, the track laying work near the depot is also being carried out at a good pace. The first RRTS train set is expected to arrive from Savli in Gujarat by next month, it said.

"NCRTC aims to commence the trial run on the priority section by the end of this year. NCRTC is planning to commence the operation on the priority section by next year and commission the entire RRTS corridor by 2025," the statement said. 

(With inputs from PTI)