Meerut Metro’s Trial Runs Begin Between Meerut South & Central

National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) today officially started trial runs (train testing) on 23 km Meerut Metro – India’s newest metro system which is being developed as part of the 82.5 km Delhi – Ghaziabad – Meerut RRTS (RapidX) project.

From the operational Meerut South Station, NCRTC’s team operated one of their 3-coach Alstom metro trains on a 9.4 km primarily-elevated route up to Meerut Central station. This section comprises of 6 stations at Meerut South, Partapur, Rithani, Shatabdi Nagar, Brahampuri, and Meerut Central – the only underground station. Out of these, Meerut South and Shatabdi Nagar will also serve semi high-speed RRTS trains.

This exciting development comes just days after India’s Prime Minister inaugurated a 13 km stretch of the RRTS line on the south-side connecting Sahibabad – Anand Vihar – New Ashok Nagar, marking the entry of RapidX into Delhi’s city limits.

NCRTC’s team today operated the train at a low speed of 5 kmph with a primary goal to check for Schedule of Dimensions (SOD) clearances and observe the train’s interaction with the civil structure to ensure there are no physical obstructions along the way. A video entering Brahapuri Station can be viewed here on YouTube.

Here are some snaps via NCRTC, note the pocket tracks to allow for dual RRTS and MRTS operations.

Meerut Metro’s first 3-coach train from Alstom’s Adessia commuter family of trains was unveiled in early February 2024 at an event organized at Alstom’s plant in Savli, Gujarat.

The aerodynamic train has a stainless steel body with a design speed of 135 kmph. It is planned to be operated at a speed of 120 kmph which will make it the fastest metro train in India.

Meerut Metro’s primary goal is to act as a feeder to the Delhi – Meerut RRTS line via 4 stations located at Meerut South, Shatabdi Nagar, Begumpul, Modipuram.

Meerut South – Meerut Central section is part of Package 3 Lot-2 (Larsen & Toubro), Package 7 (Larsen & Toubro) and Package 8 (Afcons Infrastructure). L&T had launched this section’s final segment for Package 7’s Reach-1 in February 2024 between Shatabdi Nagar and Brahmapuri Ramp.

Alstom has supplied NCRTC with 30 coaches (10 trains) for Meerut Metro as part of a Rs. 2577 crore rolling stock contract awarded in mid-2021. All 10 trains are currently stationed at Duhai Depot since Modipuram Depot, which is just north of Meerut, is still under construction.

In the coming weeks various systems like signaling & train control and telecommunication will be tested. The train’s response to being operated at different speeds & braking will be monitored along with the behavior of the track system.

NCRTC hasn’t announced their game plan for operationalizing this section, so we’ll have to wait and see how this plays out. They’ve been quick in operationalizing different segments or ‘reaches’ within a reasonable time after beginning testing, so I reckon we should see Meerut Metro going live this summer.

For more updates, check out the Meerut Metro section, Delhi NCR RRTS section or my Home Page! Sign up for free instant email notifications on new posts over here. Like this post? See how you can get early-access to updates and support the site over here.

– TMRG