The NCR Transport Corporation (NCRTC), responsible for implementing the 82-km-long Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) project, has finished tunnelling work in Meerut on Tuesday, as per informed officials. They further stated that all civil construction works for tunnelling in the RRTS project are anticipated to conclude within a month.
The RRTS project aims to connect Delhi, Ghaziabad, and Meerut. The majority of the corridor (70 km) will be elevated, with an underground section of 12 km near Anand Vihar in Delhi (5.5 km from New Ashok Nagar to Sahibabad in Ghaziabad, including one station at Anand Vihar) and six kilometers in Meerut, featuring three stations at Bhainsali, Meerut (central), and Begum Pul.
Puneet Vats, NCRTC’s Chief PRO, mentioned, “The underground civil construction of tunnelling work in Meerut is complete, and the remaining tunnelling work in Delhi is expected to be completed within a month.”
Each underground tunnel for the RRTS project is 6.5 meters wide, larger than typical metro systems, which are usually 5.8 meters wide. The wider tunnels were designed to accommodate the larger RapidX trains with a design speed of 180 kmph.
To ensure ease of maintenance and passenger evacuation during emergencies, cross-passages have been provided every 250 meters inside the tunnels, according to officials.
Apart from tunnelling, the viaduct for the 70 km elevated corridor of the RRTS is pending at various locations, spanning over 15 km. Vats added, “We have four kilometers pending in Delhi, including the Yamuna Bridge stretch. Approximately eight kilometers are pending near Modipuram in Meerut, and approximately 2.5 km between Modinagar and Shatabdi Nagar. The work is being accelerated.”
The RRTS project is estimated to cost ₹30,274 crore and is scheduled to open in March 2025. The priority section, a 17 km stretch in Ghaziabad, has already been completed and will soon be inaugurated, becoming the country’s first RRTS section to offer passenger service. The entire 82 km route includes 25 stations, with three in Delhi, eight in Ghaziabad, and the remainder in Meerut.
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