NCRTC targets RRTS trial runs in Delhi by year-end

The first trial run of the Namo Bharat regional rail in the Delhi section can be expected by the end of the year, officials from the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) have said, adding that the civil construction of the viaduct in Delhi is nearly complete and work was ongoing at the station premises.

The Delhi section of the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) is set to be inaugurated by mid-2025. The 14-km-long section in Delhi, including Sarai Kale Khan, New Ashok Nagar, and Anand Vihar RRTS stations, is progressing rapidly, officials said.

“Construction of the RRTS viaduct in the Delhi section of the Delhi-Meerut corridor is almost complete. The trial runs are likely to be started in Delhi by the end of this year. The RRTS stations – Sarai Kale Khan, New Ashok Nagar, and Anand Vihar (underground) in Delhi – have already taken shape and finishing work is underway,” said Puneet Vats, chief public relations officer, NCRTC.

Trial runs are carried out when the signalling and telecommunication work is complete, and the service is ready to be operational. Once the trial runs are done, the executing authority, NCRTC, will apply for a safety certificate from the Commission of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS), which conducts multiple inspections before proving the certificate. Officials said that after the CMRS certification, RRTS can be inaugurated according to the date and time fixed by the government.

The Delhi section includes a 9km elevated stretch and a 5km underground stretch. The viaduct work for the elevated portion is complete up to Sarai Kale Khan station, where track laying and overhead electrification (OHE) installation are underway, officials added.

The Sarai Kale Khan station — the interchange point for the first three RRTS lines — is at an advanced stage of construction where roof and finishing work is ongoing.

“This station is designed for seamless integration with other transport modes, including a bus stand, railway station, and Metro station, allowing passengers to switch between these modes without exiting the station. It has four tracks and six platforms, two of which are floating platforms, on the same level for all three RRTS lines,” said an NCRTC official.

The Sarai Kale Khan RRTS station will be connected to the Veer Haqiqat Rai ISBT through an entry/exit gate and a dedicated footbridge and to the Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station through a foot-over bridge (FOB) travelator. Additionally, the station is also linked to the Delhi Metro Pink Line, a city bus stop and has an exit on the Ring Road.

The New Ashok Nagar station will serve residents of New Ashok Nagar and Noida, providing connectivity towards Meerut. Officials said that the track laying work is complete at this station and the final touches to the roof are being added. The station is being constructed near the existing Ashok Nagar metro station, with an FOB directly connecting the Metro station’s concourse level to the RRTS station.

“Construction activities at the Anand Vihar underground station are also progressing swiftly. This station will offer multi-modal integration with the Delhi Metro, interstate bus services, and other public transport modes, including the Swami Vivekananda (Anand Vihar) interstate bus stand, city bus stand, Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation bus stand at Kaushambi, two Metro corridors (Pink and Blue lines), and Anand Vihar railway station,” the official quoted above added.

Currently, the Namo Bharat train services operate at eight stations over a 34km stretch from Sahibabad to Modi Nagar North on the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor. The Meerut South RRTS station is nearly ready and will be commissioned by year’s end. This will extend the operational RRTS corridor length to 42km, officials added.