New Delhi:The much awaited India's first regional train service-RAPIDX is all set to be opened for passengers on Oct 21 with Prime Minister Narendra Modi likely to inaugurate the 17-km priority section of the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Rapid Rail Transit System (RRTS) corridor on Oct 20, sources said. Sources said that 'RAPIDX' trains will be operational between 6 am and 11 pm.
Initially, trains will be available every 15 minutes, though the frequency can be increased on a requirement basis in future. The priority section, between Sahibabad and Duhai Depot, has five stations -- Sahibabad, Ghaziabad, Guldhar, Duhai and Duhai Depot.
What is RAPIDX? RAPID X is India's' first semi-high speed rail system for which the Rapid Rail Transit System (RRTS) corridor is being built by the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC), a joint venture company of the Centre with the governments of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
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Unlike Metro, RAPIDX caters to passengers looking to travel relatively longer distance with fewer stops and at higher speed. RRTS also provides reliable, high frequency, point to point regional travel at high speed along dedicated path way. Besides RRTS is a new, dedicated, high speed, high capacity, comfortable commuter service connecting regional nodes in NCR.
Speed limit: According to the NCRTC website, the design speed of RAPIDX is 180 kilomteres per hour with an operation speed of 160 kmph. The average speed of the RAPIDX train is 100 kmph, the NCRTC said. Every RAPIDX train will have six coaches, including a premium coach. One coach in every 'RAPIDX' train is reserved for women, the coach next to the premium coach.
Besides women, there are special coaches reserved for specially-abled and senior citizens. The entire 82.15 km Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS is believed to be operational by June 2025. RRTS trains feature several commuter-centric facilities such as overhead luggage racks, Wi-Fi, and mobile and laptop charging facility at every seat.
According to officials, the trains have been designed and manufactured on the basis of International Safety Standards and have fire detection systems for internal as well as external fire.
