Gujarat: First trainset of India's first Regional Rapid Transit System handed over to NCRTC

On this occasion, Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Housing & Urban Affairs, Hardeep Singh Puri sent a video message, in which he said, "It is going to create a plethora of opportunities, enabling balanced and sustainable growth of the region. This is just the beginning of India's journey of Regional Rails with two more RRTS corridors planned in the first phase itself. Work on them will also be taken up shortly and once completed it will create a network of networks connecting all the major hubs of NCR."

On this occasion, talking to ANI about the Regional Rapid Transit System, Secretary of MoHUA and Chairman of NCRTC, Manoj Joshi said, "I am feeling very happy. It is a proud moment for all of us as this project is a true manifestation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of an Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India concept. RRTS is a harbinger of transformation in urban mobility. We will usher in a new era by boarding and travelling in this modern, technologically advanced regional rail as it will transform the landscape of regional transit as we know it."

For this occasion, Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Housing & Urban Affairs, Hardeep Singh Puri sent a video message, in which he said, "It is going to create a plethora of opportunities, enabling balanced and sustainable growth of the region. This is just the beginning of India's journey of Regional Rails with two more RRTS corridors planned in the first phase itself. Work on them will also be taken up shortly and once completed it will create a network of networks connecting all the major hubs of NCR."

It is worth mentioning that the trainsets, with their sleek and modern design, will be lightweight equipped with a regenerative braking system and compatible with Automatic Train Protection (ATP), Automatic Train Control (ATC) and Automatic Train Operations (ATO). The regenerative braking system is an important feature of these trains, which generates electricity when the brakes are applied and the power goes back to the electric grid through the overhead traction of the train system.

Talking to ANI about the features of the train, MD of NCRTC, Vinay Kumar Singh said that the train is full of features for the comfort and convenience of customers. "If you want to just have a look at these features, there are charging points and the seats are very comfortable. In the wide aisles, there is a shelf for luggage, and comfortable handles wherever required. And you see the floor has been made in a particular way so that the train floor can be kept clean all the time. There will be Wi-Fi on the train, there is infotainment and this train is air-conditioned and very comfortable to ride", said Singh.

Talking about the difference from other Rail Transit Systems, Singh said, "There is a national railway system and there is a city-based railway system, which is what we call Metro. Now, between these two there is a gap. So, this particular RRTS is actually a regional railway system, which will fill the gap between these national railway systems and the intracity metro system."

It is notable that M/s Alstom has been awarded the contract as per which they would be delivering 40 trainsets, including 10 three-car trainsets for Meerut Metro, bundled with rolling stock maintenance for 15 years. The contract also includes designing, supplying, installing, testing, and commissioning, signalling and train control, supervision, platform screen doors and telecommunication systems for the entire Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut corridor. The delivery of these semi-high-speed aerodynamic trainsets has started with this rollout.

Talking to ANI, MD of Alstom India Ltd, Alain Spohr said that we continuously work to increase our domestic content with the concept of Make in India. There are several ways to work here and develop an industrial footprint in the country and we have done it."

It is the first step to a semi high-speed mainline train which can after become the bullet train in future, he added.

NCRTC will begin trial runs on the Priority Section of the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor shortly. The target for commissioning the priority section on the delivery corridor is June 2025. But, according to the MD of NCRTC, the corporation is trying to prepone it to March 2023. (ANI)