17-km segment of country's first rail rapid corridor likely to be operational Mar 2023

Commuters will be able to travel on the country's first rail rapid transit corridor in over three years from now as its 17-km-long Duhai-Sahibabad section in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad is expected to be operational by early 2023, an official said on Wednesday.

According to the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC), the executing agency of the Rail Rapid Transit System (RRTS), the entire Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor, spanning 82 km, will be operational by 2025.

The corridor would cut down the travel time between Delhi and Meerut to around 55 minutes from the current three-four hours by road, the official said.

The NCRTC has already commenced the civil construction work on the 17-km-long Duhai-Sahibabad section of the corridor.

This next-generation regional transit system will not only reduce the travel time, but will also help people get rid of long traffic jams and air pollution, the official said.

The Duhai-Sahibabad section of the corridor will have four stations -- Duhai, Guldhar, Ghaziabad and Sahibabad -- besides a depot at Duhai.

"This priority section is expected to become operational by March 2023, while people can avail the benefit of fast and safe commute on the 82-km-long full corridor by 2025," the official said.

The opening of the Duhai-Sahibabad section will connect the Ghaziabad RRTS station to Delhi Metro's Ghaziabad New Bus Adda station, while the Sahibabad RRTS station will integrate with the proposed Vasundhara Sector 2 metro station and bus terminal.

The Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor will have a total of 24 stations, including two depot-cum-stations at Duhai and Modipuram.

"The RRTS trains will have a design speed of 180 kmph, operational speed of 160 kmph and the average speed would be 100 kmph.

"The trains will be three times faster than the Delhi Metro trains in terms of operational speed," the official added.

The distance between the stations will vary from 5 to 10 km.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone of the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor in March.