Vadodara (Gujarat) [India], February 16 (ANI): The first look of the Meerut Metro trainset was unveiled on Friday and handed over to the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) at Savli in Gujarat.
Vinay Kumar Singh, Managing Director, NCRTC, unveiled the Meerut Metro trainset with the click of a button.
MD Alstom handed over the ceremonial keys to MD, NCRTC. With this unveiling, the delivery of the Meerut Metro trainsets has commenced and the first trainsets will soon arrive at the NCRTC Depot in Duhai.
On this occasion, Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister for Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) shared his best wishes and compliments through video. The minister said that since 2014, the government has laid emphasis on improving the quality of services offered to urban dwellers.
Establishing a robust public transportation system in metropolitan cities is a fundamental aspect of our vision for India’s urban rejuvenation. From a meagre 248 km of operational Metro lines in 2014, we have increased India’s state-of-the-art Metro network to 905 km today.
He further said that RRTS & MRTS are vital components of this ongoing transformation. The tremendous progress made so far has incentivized us to achieve the target of making India the second largest metro network in the world, even more quickly. It has also spurred many innovations in the industry and propelled us to become self-reliant.
Today, as we roll out the indigenously designed and manufactured MRTS trainset for the Meerut section of the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut corridor, we once again demonstrate our capabilities for building world-class infrastructure.
This is a matter of great pride and a symbol of the new-age innovation that India is embarking upon. I congratulate NCRTC & Alstom on this marvelous accomplishment, Puri added. Vinay Kumar Singh, MD, NCRTC, said that under the visionary leadership of the Prime Minister, India has seen tremendous growth in infrastructure development in the past few years.
This enabling environment facilitated the implementation of several transformative projects, including the country’s first RRTS. Both Namo Bharat trains and the Meerut metro will run on the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS infrastructure.
He further said that the prospect of two distinct systems, RRTS and MRTS, operating concurrently on a single infrastructure is a vision now materializing. NCRTC has implemented the European Train Control System (ETCS) Level 2 signalling with Hybrid Level 3 over Long Term Evolution (LTE), marking a pioneering endeavour in global rail transportation.
It seamlessly integrates the RRTS and metro services within Meerut, allowing for closer headways and increased service frequency. It is notable that M/s Alstom (erstwhile M/s Bombardier) was awarded the manufacturing contract, under which they will deliver 10 three-car trainsets for the Meerut Metro, bundled with rolling stock maintenance for 15 years.
The trainsets, with their sleek and modern design, will be energy efficient, lightweight and equipped with a regenerative braking system, compatible with Automatic Train Protection (ATP), Automatic Train Control (ATC), and Automatic Train Operations (ATO). The Metro train has a maximum operational speed of 120 kmph.
The Meerut Metro project aims to provide a safe, fast, and modern transportation solution for the residents of Meerut, Uttar Pradesh. With the commencement of Meerut Metro trainset delivery, the trial runs will be started soon. Meerut Metro design encapsulates a modern aesthetic approach, prioritizing optimized passenger comfort, safety, and security.
The trains are air-conditioned, featuring comfortable seating, luggage racks, grab handles, CCTV cameras, dynamic route maps, a USB device charging facility and many other new-age facilities required for the convenience of modern-day commuters. Total adherence to safety by synchronizing Metro operation with Platform Screen Doors (PSDs) at all stations, ensuring better crowd management.
It is also notable that the Metro corridor spans a length of 23 km with 13 stations, including 18 km of elevated and 5 km of underground sections. 9 stations are elevated, 3 stations are underground, and one station (depot station) will be at grade.
The stations are Meerut South (elevated), Partapur (elevated), Rithani (elevated), Shatabdi Nagar (elevated), Brahampuri (elevated), Meerut Central (underground), Bhaisali (underground), Begumpul (underground), MES Colony (elevated), Daurli (elevated), Meerut North (elevated), Modipuram (elevated), and Modipuram Depot (at grade). Four metro stations will also provide RRTS services, where commuters will be able to change their trains for RRTS or Metro services.
Construction of the Meerut Metro is progressing rapidly, and all stations are taking shape. Underground tunnel construction has been completed and finishing works are being done at all the underground stations. Track laying activities are currently in progress on already-completed tunnels and viaducts. Out of the 18-kilometer elevated section, viaduct construction has been completed in about 12 km. More than 10 launching gantries (Tarini) are installed to expedite viaduct construction in the rest of the section.
On October 20, 2023, the Prime Minister inaugurated India’s first Regional Rapid Transit System and flagged off the first Namo Bharat train. With this, the 17-kilometer-long priority section between Sahibabad and Duhai Depot was operationalized for the public.
The 17-kilometer stretch between Duhai and Modinagar North Station is the next section of the RRTS corridor set to be operationalized for the public. This section encompasses a total of 3 stations: Murad Nagar, Modi Nagar South and Modi Nagar North. Currently, the trial runs are being conducted and it is expected to be operationalized for passenger operations very soon.
The construction of the entire 82-kilometer-long Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor is progressing at pace and the entire stretch is set to be operational before the targeted timeline of June 2025. (ANI)
