Delhi – Meerut RAPIDX to be Inaugurated on October 20 by PM Modi
We have a date! Per an industry source, the 17 km long Priority Corridor of the 82.15 km Delhi – Meerut RAPIDX (RRTS) project will be inaugurated on October 20, 2023 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The line will open for commercial (revenue) operations on October 21 at 6 am.
The Priority Corridor of this semi high-speed project, India’s first, by National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) will connect Duhai – Sahibabad in Uttar Pradesh with 4 stations at Duhai, Guldhar, Ghaziabad and Sahibabad.
At Ghaziabad RAPIDX Station, users will be able to connect to the Delhi Metro Red Line’s Shaheed Sthal (New Bus Adda) Station via a foot overbridge.
Trial runs (testing) on this elevated line, with an average speed of 100 kmph and design speed of 180 kmph, started in December 2022. The line’s civil and systems were inspected and approved by the Commissioner of Metro Railway Safety (CMRS) in June 2023.
KEC International – CCECC JV built the line’s 7.3 km Package 1 (Sahibabad Ramp – Ghaziabad), while APCO – CRFG JV built 10.3 km Package 2 (Ghaziabad – Duhai EPE).
The line will be serviced by 30 6-coach Alstom trains designed in Hyderabad and built in Gujarat. NCRTC has so far received 10 trains at Duhai Depot which was built by VNC – KEC JV. A full list of train features and images from inside & outside can be viewed here.
The line’s 25kV AC overhead equipment (OHE) system was installed and energized by IRCON International as part of Package 19. A full list of contractors can be viewed here.
NCRTC hasn’t shared their operational game plan (frequency, timings etc.) yet. We should hear more about that a day or two prior to its inauguration on October 20 (Friday).
The next civil package I see opening will definitely be 33 km Package 3 (Duhai – Shatabdi Nagar) in late-2024 where Larsen & Toubro completed launching segments for its viaduct this year. I see underground Package 4 (Sahibabad Ramp – Ashok Nagar Ramp) on the south-side opening in 2025 after STEC recently recorded its final tunnel breakthrough.
It goes without saying, but the success of this line will play a role in how quickly the rest of the RapidX network to Alwar and Panipat is funded and approved. I know several lending agencies are keeping a close eye on it. The recent construction of the Delhi – Meerut Expressway doesn’t help and will definitely cannibalize ridership, but India needs and can live with both in the long run.
For more updates, check out the RRTS section or my Home Page! Sign up for free instant email notifications on new posts over here. Like this post? Get early-access to updates and support the site over here.
– TMRG
Hello,
What is the estimated time when RAPIDX will be operation in Delhi (till Sarai Kale khan)
Thanks
Dec 2024
Q4 2024 – Q1 2025 sounds about right
Suprement court pulls up Delhi government(kejriwal government) over funds for RRTS you can understand where the actual issue persists. Kejriwal govt said they have no money to pay for the construction of RRTS lines.
Don’t understand why can’t they extend delhi metro from vaishali at least till Sahibabad station. Without connecting Sahibabad what connectivity they are providing. If ghaziabad doesn’t have funds to extend till mohan nagar , I am sure they have funds to extend vaishali metro till sahibabad but they aren’t interested in that part also.
Because they dont have funds for that part too… And niether does UP government.
GDA might not be having funds but UP government must provide this aid. Also, UP government is finding 16.5% for Rapid X from Sahibabad to Meerut. Vaishali to Mohan Nagar and Noida electronic City centre to Ghaziabad is a must connectivity. This will it will complete the circuit. Sooner or later, they will have to do that. I think rather than funds, it’s the incompetence of GDA that they can’t pursue this section else DMRC had already created the DPR, made changes also basis on GDA recommendation, still no good news.
Extending Vaishali Metro to Sahibabad would have cost a fraction of what they spent on RRTS construction. It shows poor planning and foresight all around.
This is a great news. Was hearing murmurs about it in last week. With the priority corridor starting commercial operation and rest corridor status is as per timeline or ahead of timeline the NCRTC has exceeded expectations and set a bench mark for completion of the project.
However, there has been almost no progress on the other proposed RRTS corridors because of reluctance of Delhi Govt. This is disappointing.
Govt should think to start the RRTS projects in different parts of the country, other than Delhi.
Is the footover bridge connecting Ghaziabad RRTS station to Delhi Metro red line completed ?
Haven’t seen visuals / ground report on that
So I saw a video… Its not constructed. Cant even see the pillars.
Hey TMRG
You mentioned lending agencies are closely looking at the success of Delhi-Meerut RapidX to approve the Alwar and Panipat lines.
Do you think the ridership on this 17km line will be a good enough indicator for them or they would like to wait until the entire stretch is operational? It’s a given that ridership will go up exponentially once the entire line is operational but I am sure the multi lateral banks would take projections into account based on the ridership of the current network.
What are your thoughts on it?
This section is purely a vanity project which connects two stations in the middle of nowhere. It is just a PR stunt for the PM ahead of elections. There will only be any actual utility or utilization when the whole corridor is complete or at least the Delhi terminal (Sarai Kale Khan) is connected.