Vande Metro: How Different is This Train From Delhi-Meerut RRTS Rapid Rail?

Both Vande Metro and RRTS promise to provide high-speed rail connectivity between urban centres, but there some basic differences between the two. We decode here.

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After the grand success of the Vande Bharat Express semi-high speed long distance trains, the Indian Railways has now announced to launch the Vande Metro, inspired from the Vande Bharat trains. As per Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked the Ministry of Railways to come up with a new kind of train concept for urban transportation. Called the Vande Metro, the conceptual train will be similar to the ‘Regional Trans’ trains in Europe and will run between two nearby big stations providing faster travel options to rail travellers. The railways has received Vande Metro as the target for this year from PM Modi.

As per the Railway Minister, they have started to work on the world-class regional trains, the prototype of which will be ready within the next 12 to 16 months. Vande Metro trains could have 8 coaches like city metros, compared to 16 coaches in Vande Bharat Express trains. But how different are they from the soon-to-be-launched Delhi-Meerut RRTS trains?

The concept of the Vande Metro was further explained by Minister Vaishnaw. They will be run on high frequency and the government plans to run Vande Metro trains between cities which are less than 100 kms from each other. It will be a shuttle-like experience for passengers. Bengaluru could be one of the first stations to get the Vande Metro, being one of the most important urban centres of India.

Bengaluru Vande Metro could give connectivity to towns such as Tumakuru, where HAL has built Asia’s biggest helicopter facility and Hindupur which lie within 100-km radius of the Karnataka capital. Next in line can be Uttar Pradesh’s two big hubs Lucknow and Kanpur, perfectly placed at a distance of 90 kms apart to get a Vande Metro in the future.

The Regional Rail Transit System, is essentially a form of Urban Rail Connectivity, much like the Vande Metro. Both the trains will have many things in common, including the distance of coverage, which will be limited to 100 kms, and number of coaches, which can be between 6-8 coaches per train.

However, the basic difference is that the RRTS is being run by NCRTC (National Capital Region Transport Corporation), which is limited only to connecting the National Capital Region, which includes Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, Ghaziabad and Faridabad with other important cities in adjoining states like Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan.

The first of these RRTS trains will run between Delhi and Meerut and is expected to start as early as mid-2023, with the priority phase of the project between Duhai and Sahibabad nearing completion. The full line, which is near 90 km in length is expected to start in 2025. The RRTS trains made by Alstom has already started speed trial runs.

Announcements have been made to connect Delhi with Karnal in Haryana and Delhi with Alwar in Rajasthan. These trains have a top speed of 180 kmph, while speed trial have been conducted at 160 kmph. Four trainsets have already reached the Duhai depot.  

With agencies inputs