The Board of Directors (Board) of the New Development Bank (NDB) held its 28th Meeting in a virtual format on September 29, 2020. Five project proposals were approved by the Board including Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS project, with a total commitment aggregating to approx USD 1.03 billion.
- The NDB Board approved a loan of USD 500 million to the Republic of India for the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) Project.
- The loan would be used by Government of India for on-lending to the National Capital Region Transport Corporation Limited (NCRTC) for construction of a rapid rail corridor connecting the National Capital Territory of Delhi with the cities of Ghaziabad and Meerut located in the State of Uttar Pradesh.
- The RRTS will have a total length of 82.15 km (68.03 km elevated and 14.12 km underground) with 25 stations.
- It will have a design speed of 180 km per hour, maximum operating speed of 160 km per hour and high-frequency operations, which will reduce the journey time from Delhi to Meerut to 60 minutes.
- The Project will develop an efficient and sustainable regional transport system and reduce congestion in Delhi, by offering people the alternative of settling in surrounding cities and being able to commute to Delhi through a fast, reliable, safe and comfortable public transport system.
Train design unveiled for India’s first RRTS corridor:
- Recently, global mobility technology leader Bombardier Transportation and India’s National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) celebrated the unveiling of train design for India’s first Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS).
- The train design was unveiled by Durga Shanker Mishra, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India in the presence of Vinay Kumar Singh, Managing Director leading the NCRTC team and Rajeev Joisar, Managing Director leading the Bombardier Transportation team in India.
- Bombardier was awarded the contract by NCRTC earlier this year to design, build and deliver the regional commuter and intracity transit trains with comprehensive maintenance services for the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut semi-high-speed rail corridor under RRTS Phase 1.
- The fresh, modern and advanced nature of the new train design is inspired by Delhi’s iconic monument, The Lotus Temple, resonating a unique amalgamation of sustainability and India’s rich heritage.
- The RRTS feature-packed train design, developed in collaboration with NCRTC’s experienced team, will offer a host of safety, security and environmental benefits while keeping passenger comfort at the forefront.
Features:
- The semi-high-speed aerodynamic trainsets will have a 2 + 2 transverse seating arrangement with comfortable seat pitches, standing spaces and automatic plug-in type sliding doors.
- The air-conditioned trains will also provide space for luggage, CCTV cameras for enhanced security and offer the choice of business class seating as well as a car designated for women in the six-car trainsets for regional services.
- The interior of the new trains will offer an accessible and welcoming environment for passengers.
- The new trains will accommodate around 900 passengers in the three-car train configuration for the Meerut local transit services.
- When configured into six-car trainsets for RRTS, the trains will be able to accommodate as many as 1,790 passengers to significantly increase public transport capacity between Delhi and Meerut.
- With their modular design, the RRTS trains can be expanded to nine-car trainsets.
Source: NDB-Press Release | Image Credit: Bombardier Transportation
