In a significant step towards implementing India’s first Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS), the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) has commenced trial runs on Sahibabad–New Ashok Nagar section of Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor.

This marks a major milestone, as Namo Bharat trains are now entering Delhi, bringing the corridor’s Delhi section closer to the already operational section from Sahibabad to Meerut South.

NCRTC MD, Shalabh Goel was present on the occasion with senior officers to witness this moment. The Namo Bharat train has been operated manually to check the Civil Structure compatibility in the trials, a spokesperson of the NCRTC said on Saturday.

As testing advances, the NCRTC will carry out comprehensive evaluations to assess the train’s integrated performance and its coordination with various subsystems such as tracks, signalling, Platform Screen Doors (PSDs), and overhead power supply systems. Extensive trial runs, including high-speed tests, are planned over the next few months.

This 12-km stretch of the corridor is going to connect Sahibabad RRTS station to New Ashok Nagar RRTS station having two RRTS stations of Anand Vihar and New Ashok Nagar. Once operational, it will offer commuters a fast and efficient travel option between New Ashok Nagar and Meerut South RRTS station, reducing the travel time to less than 40 minutes.

Anand Vihar RRTS station is expected to become one of the busiest commuter transit hubs, with significant daily footfall due to its proximity to a Metro station serving two Metro lines, a railway station, and two ISBTs—one on the Delhi side and the other at Kaushambi, Uttar Pradesh.

The NCRTC is ensuring the seamless integration of these various transit modes to offer commuters effortless convenience and accessibility, making Anand Vihar RRTS station a model for multi-modal integration.

The New Ashok Nagar RRTS station is located less than 100 meters from the New Ashok Nagar Metro Station. To integrate these two transport modes, the NCRTC will provide a footbridge (FOB) connecting the concourse level of the Metro station to the concourse of the RRTS station.

Additionally, two more FOBs will enhance accessibility at the New Ashok Nagar RRTS station—one connecting Chilla Village and Mayur Vihar Extension, and the other near the Ancient Shiv Temple for easy access to New Ashok Nagar residents. All these will provide easy access to the residents of New Ashok Nagar.

The NCRTC recently earned top honors at the UIC Sustainability Impact Awards 2024 in Germany, winning both the Best Transit Award for Seamless Connectivity and the prestigious Overall Winner Award, standing out among numerous global entries.

At present, Namo Bharat train services operate over a 42-km stretch from Sahibabad to Meerut South, covering nine stations of Sahibabad, Ghaziabad, Guldhar, Duhai, Duhai Depot, Muradnagar, Modi Nagar South, Modi Nagar North, and Meerut South.

With the operationalization of Sahibabad to New Ashok Nagar section, the operational length will increase to 54 km with 11 RRTS stations.

Delhi section has three stations of New Ashok Nagar, Anand Vihar, and Sarai Kale Khan RRTS station. The work on the rest of the section from New Ashok Nagar to Sarai Kale Khan station is in the final stage of construction and track laying activities are in progress.

Once the entire 82-km corridor is completed by the targeted deadline of June 2025, passengers will be able to travel between Delhi and Meerut in less than an hour.