IN NEWS: PM Modi flags off RRTS
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first leg of the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS), India’s first mass rapid system dedicated to regional connectivity.
About the RRTS project
- It is a new, dedicated, high-speed, high-capacity, comfortable commuter service connecting regional nodes in the NCR.
- It aims to ensure balanced and sustainable urban development through better connectivity and access across the NCR.
- The idea of such a network lies in a study that the Indian Railways was commissioned to carry out in 1998–99.
- The NCRPB identified and recommended eight RRTS corridors to connect NCR towns with high-speed rail-based commuter transit services.
- The RRTS train will cover relatively smaller distances, do so at a higher frequency, and provide relatively more comfort than the average railway coach.
- RRTS trains will travel significantly faster than metro trains. These will operate at a speed of 160 km/h but are designed to be able to run at speeds up to 180 km/h. Delhi Metro trains can operate at 100 km/hour to 120 km/hour, at the most, depending on the line.
Eight corridors will be developed under the project. with three being developed under Phase I:
- Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut (82 km)
- Delhi-Gurugram-SNB-Alwar (164 km)
- Delhi-Panipat (103 km)