(HT)
The National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) — the agency executing the Delhi-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) project — has begun trial runs on a 4.5km stretch in the Capital between the New Ashok Nagar and Sarai Kale Khan stations, officials aware of the matter said on Sunday.
Trains operating on the RRTS corridor have been named Namo Bharat. At present, only a 55km section of the line is open — between New Ashok Nagar and Meerut South. Two of the 11 operational stations are in Delhi, while the rest are in Uttar Pradesh.
NCRTC officials said on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday, the Namo Bharat train crossed the Yamuna for the first time — a major milestone for the agency — and entered the Sarai Kale Khan station.
“The Namo Bharat train was brought from New Ashok Nagar to Sarai Kale Khan on the down line by the NCRTC team at a slow speed. The train was run manually to check the compatibility of the signalling system. As this test progresses, we will conduct a comprehensive evaluation to assess the integration and coordination of the train with various subsystems such as track, platform screen door (PSD), and overhead power supply system. Extensive trial runs including high-speed test of the train will be conducted in the coming days,” an official said, declining to be named.
“To cross the Yamuna, NCRTC has built a 1.3km bridge on 32 pillars, of which about 626m is on the Yamuna and the remaining part is in the khadar area (floodplains) on both sides. The RRTS bridge across the Yamuna has been built parallel to the DND Flyway,” the official said.
Sarai Kale Khan will be the originating station of the Delhi-Meerut RRTS route.
A second NCRTC official said the Sarai Kale Khan station is almost ready for use, and that the agency is eyeing to operationalise the corridor till Sarai Kale Khan by June-end.
“Finishing work on the five entry-exit structures of the station is also going on and the escalators and lifts installed here are also ready for operation. Platform Screen Doors (PSDs) have also been installed on all platforms of the station,” the second official said.
“Trials will be carried out for one month, after which certification by the Commissioner for Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) is likely to take another 15 days,” he said.
The Sarai Kale Khan station is likely to be the most crowded station on the RRTS route, catering also to the Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station, the Veer Haqiqat Rai ISBT, the Ring Road bus stand, and the Sarai Kale Khan Metro station.
“NCRTC will ensure seamless integration of the Sarai Kale Khan RRTS station with these various transit modes to provide better convenience and access to passengers, making this station a model of multi-modal integration,” the official quoted above said.
