National Capital Region Transport Corporation

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National Capital Region Transport Corporation Limited (NCRTC)
TypeState-owned SPV
IndustryPublic transport
Founded2013
HeadquartersGatiShakti Bhawan, INA, Delhi, India
Key people
Vinay Kumar Singh (Managing Director)
ServicesRegional Rail
OwnerUnion Government (50%)
Delhi (12.50%)
Haryana (12.50%)
Rajasthan (12.50%)
UP (12.50%)
Websitencrtc.in

The National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC), a joint venture company of the Government of India and the states of Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi, is mandated with implementing the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) project across the National Capital Region (NCR), ensuring a balanced and sustainable urban development through better connectivity and access.

The Union Cabinet approved constitution of the NCRTC under the Companies Act, 1956, in July 2013 for designing, developing, implementing, financing, operating, and maintaining the RRTS in the NCR to provide comfortable and fast transit to NCR towns and to meet the high growth in transport demand.[1][2] Accordingly, the NCRTC was incorporated on 21 August 2013.[3] Vinay Kumar Singh was appointed as the first regular managing director of the NCRTC in July 2016.[4]

Out of the eight identified RRTS corridors, the following three were prioritized for implementation by the planning commission:

History[]

Background[]

Indian Railways had commissioned a study during 1998–99 to identify rail projects for commuter travel in the National Capital Region (NCR) and Delhi. It identified the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) for connecting NCR towns to Delhi with fast commuter trains. The proposal was re-examined in 2006 in light of the Metro extension to some of the NCR towns.[3]

The Planning Commission formed a task force in 2005 under the chairmanship of the Secretary of the Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) to develop a multi-modal transport system for the NCR. This was included in the Integrated Transport Plan for NCR 2032 with special emphasis on the RRTS connecting regional centres.[5]

The task force identified eight corridors and prioritised three, namely Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut, Delhi-Panipat, and Delhi-Gurugram-SNB-Alwar for implementation. In March 2010, the National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB) appointed M/S Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System for Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut and Delhi-Panipat and M/S Urban Mass Transit Company Limited for Delhi-Gurugram-SNB-Alwar to carry out a feasibility study and prepare a Detailed Project Report.[5]

History of the NCRTC[]

The Union Cabinet approved the constitution of the National Capital Region Transport Corporation Limited (NCRTC) under the Companies Act, 1956, on 11 July 2013 with initial seed capital of ₹100 crores for designing, developing, implementing, financing, operating, and maintaining the RRTS in the NCR, in other to provide comfortable and fast transit to NCR towns and meet the high growth in transport demand.[1][2] Accordingly, the NCRTC was incorporated on 21 August 2013.[3] The company may form subsidiary companies for implementing each corridor. The seed capital was to be contributed as follows:[1]

Government of India
Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs 22.5%
Ministry of Railways 22.5%
National Capital Region Planning Board 5.0%
State Governments
Government of NCT Delhi 12.5%
Government of Uttar Pradesh 12.5%
Government of Rajasthan 12.5%
Government of Haryana 12.5%

Phase 1[]

The NCRTC board approved the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor on 6 December 2016.[6] Subsequent to the approval of the DPR by States and Union governments, on 8 March 2019, the Prime Minister of India laid the foundation stone of India's first RRTS between Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut. The civil construction work is in progress,[7] and the priority section of the corridor between Sahibabad to Duhai is targeted to be commissioned by 2023.Travel time between Delhi and Meerut will be reduced to less than sixty minutes from the current three hours once the RRTS is operational.[8]

The second prioritized RRTS corridor, between Delhi-Gurugram-SNB-Alwar, is planned to be executed in three stages. The DPR of the first stage, between Delhi-Gurugram-SNB, was approved by the NCRTC board on 6 December 2018. Subsequently, the Governments of Haryana, Rajasthan, and NCT Delhi approved the DPR of the corridor and it is under active consideration of the Government of India for sanction. The DPR of the second stage of this corridor, between SNB (Shahjahanpur-Neemrana-Behror Urban Complex) to Sotanala was approved by the NCRTC board on 13 March 2020.

The DPR of the third prioritized RRTS corridor, between Delhi-Panipat, was approved by the NCRTC board on 13 March 2020.

The NCRTC unveiled the initial look of India's first RRTS on 25 September 2020. The RRTS prototype is scheduled to roll off the production line in 2022 and will be put into public use after extensive trials.[9]

RRTS overview[]

  • RRTS is a rail-based semi-high speed, high frequency, high capacity, comfortable, air-conditioned, reliable, and safe commuter service connecting regional nodes.
  • Design speed – 180 km/h, Operational speed – 160 km/h, Average speed of 100 km/h – Delhi to Meerut in less than 55 minutes (three times the speed of Metro)
  • Train every ~5–10 minutes; serving traffic nodes at every 5–10 km
  • ETCS-2 Signalling System along with centralized operations control will ensure that train services will not be affected, even during extreme weather conditions.
  • RRTS is different from conventional railway as it will provide reliable, high frequency, point-to-point regional travel at high speed along a dedicated pathway.
  • RRTS is different from Metro as it caters to passengers looking to travel relatively longer distances with fewer stops and at a higher speed. Metro rail projects generally serve the need of intra-city movement and operate within metropolitan cities like Delhi, Chennai, or Kochi; RRTS will connect suburban and urban centres in the NCR and will run from one city centre to another, thus providing a seamless transit network to the entire region.
  • Aerodynamic trains with airline-like transverse seating arrangements.

Unique aspects of RRTS[]

Interoperability[10]

Waiting time and number of interchanges are two major deterrents in the adoption of any public transport system. To provide seamless movement to commuters, the three RRTS corridors of phase 1, i.e., Delhi – Ghaziabad – Meerut; Delhi – Panipat; and Delhi – Gurugram – SNB – Alwar will be integrated at Delhi's Sarai Kale Khan and remain interoperable. Trains will move from one corridor to another, facilitating commuter travel from one corridor station to another without train changes, thus motivating them to leave their private vehicles and switch to the RRTS.

Multimodal integration[11]

RRTS stations will be integrated with various modes of public transport systems like airports, Indian Railway stations, inter-state bus terminals, and Delhi Metro stations, wherever possible. This integration will facilitate seamless movement of commuters from one mode of public transport to another and encourage the use of public transport. While the RRTS will act as a backbone for regional transportation, Delhi Metro lines will complement it by providing feeder dispersal services. The Sarai Kale Khan RRTS station will be a mega-terminal where all three Phase-I RRTS corridors will merge.

Multimodal integration of RRTS stations
RRTS station Mode of transport with which integration will be provided
Ghaziabad New Bus Adda
New Ashok Nagar New Ashok Nagar Metro station
Anand Vihar , Anand Vihar ISBT, and UPSRTC bus depot (Kaushambi)[12]
Sarai Kale Khan Line 7 (Pink Line) of Delhi Metro, Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station, and ISBT Sarai Kale Khan
INA Line 2 (Yellow) of Delhi Metro
Aerocity Indira Gandhi International Airport, Airport Express Line of Delhi Metro, and proposed phase IV of Delhi Metro
Udyog Vihar Proposed extension of Rapid Metro Gurgaon and proposed Metro from Gurgaon railway station
Kherki Dhaula toll Proposed Bawal Metro and proposed bus terminus
Panchgao Proposed Bawal Metro, proposed ISBT, and proposed multimodal hub
Bawal Bawal bus stand

Option of business class: Each RRTS train will have a separate business coach. This will encourage business class commuters to switch to public transport for intercity travel.

Comfortable travel: The air-conditioned RRTS coaches will have transverse seating arrangement with an overhead space for luggage, a wi-fi connection, among other modern amenities.

Women's coach : Each RRTS train will have a separate coach for women travellers, just like the Delhi Metro.

Universal accessibility: The entire infrastructure of the RRTS, including stations and trains, will be designed with universal accessibility in mind.

Need for RRTS project[]

The National Capital Region (NCR) has grown over the years to cover parts of states around Delhi, namely Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan. Today, the total area falling under the NCR is about 55,083 km2 [2], with a total population of over 46 million (4.6 crores) (2011 census). The region has seen a decadal population growth of ~24% between 2001 and 2011. The entire NCR is an urban agglomeration with an urbanization rate of about 62%.

Further, in 2007, the number of passenger vehicles crossing Delhi borders breached 1,100,000 (eleven lakhs) per day. Rail-based inter- regional commuter demand in the NCR is estimated to grow to 1.7 million passengers per day by 2032. This has triggered the need for an effective regional public transport system.

Benefits of RRTS project[]

Enhanced economic activities[]

A high-speed, comfortable, and affordable mode of transport such as the RRTS has the potential to change the movement patterns of people and usher in economic development across the region. With reduced travel times, the overall productivity of the region would increase, leading to improved overall economic activity and balanced economic development. The RRTS would lead to a polycentric economic development in a uniform manner across the region.[13]

Lower emissions[]

With a reduced number of private vehicles and a shift towards a clean transportation system like the RRTS, fuel consumption is expected to go down. Low fuel consumption means lower emissions and less pollution.[14]

Easing of road congestion[]

The RRTS has the capacity to ferry a large number of people each hour. By shifting a large amount of traffic from road to rail, it could free up road space and ease congestion on highways across the NCR. The Delhi–Ghaziabad–Gurugram RRTS corridor alone is expected to remove over one lakh vehicles from the road, easing overall congestion.[15]

Improved access to jobs and facilities[]

The three corridors of Phase 1 alone are expected to generate 21,000 direct jobs. The RRTS would open up new markets and opportunities for people by connecting them through a high-speed network. The faster commute will allow people to have access to better facilities such as healthcare, education, etc.[16]

Savings in travel cost and time[]

The high-speed journey through the RRTS will be offered at an affordable price, leading to savings on the part of commuters.[17]

Reduced energy use[]

With a low land footprint and high throughput, implementation of the Delhi–Ghaziabad–Meerut RRTS corridor is expected to shift the modal share in favour of public transport from 37% to 63% in the region. A shift towards public transportation will reduce energy use by the transport sector in the National Capital Region. This would not only lead to reduced fuel consumption in the region, but also the country's import dependence on foreign oil.[18]

Technology[]

The NCRTC is implementing a state-of-the-art rail-based rapid transit system in the NCR with a design speed of 180 km/h. Such a speed will necessarily require grade-separated tracks and the latest signalling and control systems, to ensure high throughput and safe operation. The rolling stock will be air-conditioned and have the capability of high acceleration and deceleration in a very short span. Traction power will be through a uniquely designed 25 kV flexible overhead catenary traction system for elevated stations and a rigid overhead catenary system for tunnels. Key technologies:

Ballastless track[19][]

Slab Track Austria system, recognized for providing excellent riding comfort even at high speeds of 180 km/h. These tracks are being used in India for the first time. The tracks are also preferred for a longer life span, with less maintenance requirement, and ease of replacement.

ETCS Level 2 signalling system[20][]

The ETCS Level-2 signalling system is used globally for high-speed railway transit. The system is equipped with modern signalling with virtual blocks & ATO functionality over LTE backbone is being used for the first time in India. A key feature of the RRTS is interoperability of all the corridors, and ETCS Level-2 makes this possible. The system can monitor train speed and direction, and provide operation directives using a radio block centre. Use of a virtual block facilitated by ETCS Level-2 signalling eliminates any possibility of train collision.

SPEED – Systematic Program Evaluation for Efficient Delivery of project[]

SPEED is NCRTC's in-house sophisticated, robust, reliable, and user-friendly platform that leverages fundamental underlying technological frameworks such as JavaScript, PHP, etc. It is a monitoring and project management tool for reporting activities of pre-construction and construction phases of the RRTS.

Common Data Environment (CDE)[]

CDE is implemented for maintaining a common repository for all construction and pre-construction drawings and technical documents. It enables collaboration and sharing of updated information, documents, and drawings in real time to achieve a single source of truth across organisation, manage design, define and implement workflows, and monitor progress actions across the organisation.[21]

Building Information Modelling (BIM)[22][]

BIM is an intelligent 3D model-based process that provides architecture, engineering, and construction professionals the insight and tools to more effectively plan, design, construct, and manage buildings and infrastructure. Project-related components like walls, doors, etc. are modelled in 3D by using various BIM software. Currently, all the stations are being designed and developed on the BIM platform. BIM offers a realistic 3D model, giving a true sense of how the actual structure will look.

Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS)[]

The CORS network system, including the control station, is being installed by the NCRTC to increase location accuracy in the Civil Construction Survey work. This system provides real-time precise coordinates for the measured locations and is capable of ensuring 5 – 10 mm accuracy in the location of points, whereas regular GPS can only provide location accuracy of up to 10 to 15 metres. This eliminates cumulative errors in civil construction and results in better alignment, acting as a life cycle management solution for the project.

Rolling stock[]

Rolling stock will be provided by Bombardier Transportation, India, for the Delhi–Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System and will be manufactured in Gujarat. The project scope involves supplying thirty regional commuter trainsets of six cars each and ten intracity mass transit trainsets of three cars each, together with fifteen years of rolling stock maintenance. The Letter of Award is valued at approximately ₹2,577 crore (€314 million, $340 million US) and the customer has a provision to exercise an option of an additional ninety cars and two years of maintenance. The design speed will be 180 km/h but will run at 160 km/h. The bogies will be based on the Bombardier Transportation FLEXX Bogie family, and the propulsion system will be based on MITRAC Propulsion.

Network[]

Map showing the three proposed RRTS lines, along with Delhi Metro and Indian Railways services

Phase 1 (under construction)[]

Sl No. RRTS Corridors (Phase 1) Length (km)[23][24][25] Stations Cost[23][24][25] Construction Start[23][24][25] Completion[23][24][25] Project Updates[23][24][25]
1. Delhi–Ghaziabad–Meerut 82 km (51 mi) 17 ₹325,980 million (equivalent to ₹390 billion or US$5.2 billion in 2020) Jan 2019 2025 As of May 2020: Construction of India's first regional rail corridor is in full swing. Construction of viaduct segments is in progress at casting yards for Package 1 & 2, situated at Vasundhara, Ghaziabad. Fabrication of a launching girder is near completion and is likely to be erected shortly. On the 17 km-long prioritized section between Sahibabad and Duhai, around 1,200 piles have been laid and twenty piers erected. The viaduct superstructure will be launched soon. While this part of the corridor will become operational by 2023, commercial operations on the entire Delhi–Meerut corridor will commence by 2025.

The priority section has been divided into two packages—Package I (from Vaishali to Ghaziabad via Sahibabad) and Package II (from Ghaziabad to EPE). It has four stations—Sahibabad, Ghaziabad, Guldhar, and Duhai. Construction work is underway for all four stations.

Road widening work is underway between Duhai and Shatabdi Nagar, while utility diversion and pile load tests are in progress at different locations between Duhai and Modipuram. The UPPTCL electrical high-tension line of 220kV, double-circuit at Sahibabad – Muradnagar near Arthala (Ghaziabad) has been shifted recently. It was very critical and sensitive, given the presence of a double-track crossing with Indian Railways. With this, a total of seventeen lines have been shifted to date for the execution of the RRTS project in a time-bound manner.

Crucial bids, including the construction of a depot -cum-workshop near Duhai RRTS station (Package 5A) of the Delhi–Ghaziabad–Meerut RRTS corridor; construction of an elevated viaduct from Sarai Kale Khan station to New Ashok Nagar DN ramp, including Jangpura entry ramp and two elevated stations viz., Sarai Kale Khan and New Ashok Nagar, amongst others, have been invited and are under process.

2. Delhi–Panipat 103 km (64 mi) 16 ₹400,000 million (equivalent to ₹480 billion or US$6.3 billion in 2020) 2019 2025 Detailed Project Report (DPR) approved by NCRTC board in March 2020 and under consideration of state governments for approval. The Haryana government has approved the extension of the corridor up to Karnal as of January 2020.
3. Delhi–Gurugram–SNB–Alwar 164 km (102 mi) 18 ₹375,390 million (equivalent to ₹450 billion or US$5.9 billion in 2020) 2019 2025 The DPR of Phase 1 of this corridor (Delhi-Gurugram-SNB) has been approved by the respective state governments and is under active consideration of the central government. Pre-construction work, including geo-technical investigation, pile loading test, and mapping of underground utilities are underway on this corridor.

Site offices at Gurugram and Delhi are operational and first civil construction package is in advanced stages of finalisation.

Bids are invited for:

* engagement of detailed design consultant for civil, architectural, and E & M work for the design of seven elevated stations (Panchgaon, Bilaspur, Dharuhera, MBIR, Rewari, Bawal, and SNB, plus the Dharuhera Depot)

* engagement for proof-checking consultant for civil, structural design of elevated viaduct from Delhi (SKK) to SNB (73 km) and ten elevated stations, with one depot at Dharuhera

* execution of enabling civil works and works related to utilities shifting, such as water pipelines, stormwater drains, gas pipelines, etc., and associated electrical and telecom work between Sarai Kale Khan–IDPL Complex and IDPL Complex and SNB.

Total 349 km (217 mi) 51

Phase 2 (proposed)[]

Corridors identified for second phase, with no budgetary approval as of July 2017, are:[26][27]

Sl No. RRTS Corridor Length (km) Stations Note
1. Delhi–Rohtak Delhi–Bhadurgarh–Rohtak ~66 km (41 mi) TBD Proposed Phase 3 extension to Hisar, ~94 km (58 mi)
2. Delhi–Palwal Delhi–Faridabad–Ballabgarh–Palwal ~86 km (53 mi) TBD
3. Ghaziabad–Khurja Ghaziabad–Bulandshahr–Khurja ~66 km (41 mi) TBD
4. Ghaziabad–Hapur Ghaziabad–Hapur ~40 km (25 mi) TBD
5. Delhi–Baraut Delhi–Shahdara–Baraut ~54 km (34 mi) TBD
6. Delhi–Jewar Delhi–Noida–Greater Noida–Jewar ~67 km (42 mi) TBD

Implementation[]

The RRTS currently proposed by the government will have a travel time of one hour for Delhi–Panipat and Delhi–Meerut, and two hours for Delhi–Alwar. This will result in facilitating seamless travel between the CBD and NCR suburbs. Recently, all state governments have approved alignments of the three Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) corridors. These corridors will connect the capital with Panipat, Meerut, and Alwar. These three alignments were recommended by the National Capital Regional Planning Board (NCRPB).

In its 36th meeting, held under the chairmanship of Union Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu, the NCRPB gave the nod to the implementation of three RRTS corridors—Delhi–Alwar, Delhi–Panipat, and Delhi–Meerut. Further, Minister Naidu stated that issues related to the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) have been resolved and further work on these three corridors could be started immediately.[28] The minister also said that a managing director, entrusted with the implementation of the RRTS, had been appointed and implementation of the RRTS corridors will commence shortly. Indian Railways officer Shri. Vinay Kumar Singh has been appointed as the managing director of the company and assumed office in July 2016.[29][30]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c "Formation of National Capital Region Transport Corporation Limited (NCRTC)". pib.gov.in. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
  2. ^ a b "NCRTC constitution approved | Pune News - Times of India". The Times of India. 12 July 2013. Retrieved 26 September 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ a b c "NCRTC | About Us". Retrieved 26 September 2021.
  4. ^ "Railway officer Vinay Kumar Singh to head NCRTC". The Economic Times. 21 February 2016. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  5. ^ a b "NCRTC | RRTS – Background". Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  6. ^ "NCRTC | NCRTC News". ncrtc.in. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  7. ^ Anand, Jatin (16 August 2020). "RRTS is going to be the backbone of passenger transport in NCR". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  8. ^ "Regional Rapid Transportation System will take you from Delhi to Meerut in 35 minutes - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  9. ^ "Revealed: First look of rapid train to run between Delhi-Meerut". India Today. 25 September 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  10. ^ "All RRTS corridors will be interoperable: NCRTC". Business Standard India. Press Trust of India. 24 August 2019. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  11. ^ "Great move! India's 1st rapid rail corridors in Delhi to be linked to Delhi Metro, Indian Railways stations". The Financial Express. 18 June 2019. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  12. ^ "UPSRTC". www.upsrtc.com. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  13. ^ "Regional Rapid Transit System: Information, Routes, Fares and Project Updates". Urban Transport News. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  14. ^ ANI (29 October 2018). "Rising vehicular emission a major contributor in Delhi NCR's air pollution". Business Standard India. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  15. ^ Dash, Dipak K. (22 January 2019). "Delhi Meerut Rapid Rail News : RRTS may take 1 lakh vehicles off roads". The Times of India. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  16. ^ Singh, Vinay Kumar (16 January 2020). "RRTS corridors Connecting India's National Capital Region". Metro Rail News. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  17. ^ "Soon, you can travel Delhi to Meerut in less than an hour". Livemint. 31 July 2019. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  18. ^ Shukla, Neha (16 November 2019). "Passengers to zip between Delhi & Meerut in 55 minutes". The Times of India. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  19. ^ News, Urban Transport (13 August 2019). "NCRTC to engage Ballastless Track Structure System Provider for RRTS". Urban Transport News. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  20. ^ "NCRTC to use hi-tech signalling for Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut section". www.outlookindia.com/. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  21. ^ "NCRTC Rolls Out Wrench SmartProject as Their Common Data Environment in Record Time". Business Standard India. Press Trust of India. 17 October 2019. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  22. ^ News, Urban Transport (29 August 2019). "Delegates from Asian Development Bank visits Delhi-Meerut RRTS project". Urban Transport News. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  23. ^ a b c d e [1], 1 December 2017.
  24. ^ a b c d e On track: Direct trains on high-speed rail corridor to and from most NCR towns, Hindustan Times, 28 November 2017.
  25. ^ a b c d e High speed rail link by 2023 to cut journey time to 30 minutes at 100 km/h between Kashmere Gate and Gurgaon, Economic Times, 23 April 2017.
  26. ^ "NCRTC | Project Details". ncrtc.in. Archived from the original on 3 May 2018. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  27. ^ Delhi to Alwar in 104 minutes: Rapid rail proposal moves to approval stage, Hindustan Times, 22 April 2017.
  28. ^ The Standard, Business. "NCRPB approves 3 RRTS corridors, metro projects loan repayment | Business Standard". wap.business-standard.com. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  29. ^ "Railway officer Vinay Kumar Singh to head NCRTC - The Economic Times". The Economic Times. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
  30. ^ UK, DVV Media. "Singh to lead Delhi regional rail project". Railway Gazette. Retrieved 12 February 2017.

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