L&T Casts Delhi – Meerut RRTS Package 7’s Final Segment
Larsen & Toubro (L&T) last Monday celebrated casting their final of 6290 precast box segments for 82.15 km Delhi – Meerut RRTS (RapidX) project’s Package 7 near Meerut, Uttar Pradesh.
This development comes a few days after the final span for 9.46 km Package 7’s main-line was launched north of Meerut city. The last batch of segments that have been cast will all go towards building the 1.7 km long depot-line from the main-line towards Modipuram Depot.
Modipuram Depot is under construction by KSM Bashir Mohammad & Sons under the project’s Package 5B. It’s been designed to stable 20 x 9 coach Alstom semi-high speed train-sets and 36 x 3 coach Alstom MRTS train-sets for local Meerut Metro services on a 20 km route between Partapur – Modipuram.
National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) had awarded Package 7’s construction contract to L&T in November 2020 with a 2.5 year deadline.
L&T’s Package 7 consists of 2 sections (2.35 km Reach 1 & 7.11 km Reach 2) on either side of underground Package 8‘s tunnels through Meerut. Back in February, L&T wrapped up launching works for Reach-1 on the south-side connecting Shatabdi Nagar and Brahmapuri Ramp.
Reach-2 which forms a bulk of Package 7 lies north of Meerut and connects Begumpul Ramp – Modipuram Depot with 4 stations at MES Colony, Daurli, Meerut North and Modipuram.
For the viaduct’s construction, L&T’s team utilized a casting yard at Shatabdi Nagar (view on Google Maps) to churn out 6290 x 10.5m wide box segments, 203 I-girders, and 414 precast beams and U-shell portal beams.
3 of the 4 stations on Reach-2 at Meerut North, Daurli & MES Colony will only be serviced by 3-coach Meerut Metro train-sets by Alstom Transport (view design).
As shared in another post, NCRTC in October started trial runs (train testing) on the 13.3 km Sahibabad – Anand Vihar – New Ashok Nagar section marking the entry of its Alstom semi high-speed trains, nicknamed Namo Bharat, into Delhi’s city limits.
NCRTC hasn’t announced their operational game plan, and I’m inclined to believe there will be a 2 phase opening with the Sahibabad – New Ashok Nagar section opening in Q2 2025 and the New Ashok Nagar – Sarai Kale Khan section opening in mid Q3 2025.
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– TMRG
https://www.deccanherald.com/india/k-rail-can-be-implemented-if-technical-issues-in-design-addressed-says-centre-3260360
Considering the difficulties in executing this project, wouldn’t a high speed rail be preferable in Kerala? The extra cost would be worth it.
Or are the towns too close to each other to make a high speed rail practical along this route?
That article mixes up 2 projects – Sabari Rail and Silver Line
Anyhow, yes the Silver Line’s alignment is ripe for a full fledged HSR line instead of SHSR. Route length and station numbers etc. match up with MAHSR. They can run local services through all stops and express services between major towns. I’m hoping its technical specs are reconsidered.