India’s 1st rapid rail line to sprint 20-km Ghaziabad stretch in just 12 mins soon

The RAPIDX system is supposed to run at a speed of 180 km/h, which is comparable to the wide gauge Vande Bharat's design speed. This makes it India's quickest urban transit system. (Image: PTI)

India’s first rapid rail line, also called RAPIDX, may go in as little as 12 minutes from Sahibabad to Duhai — a distance of 20 km that normally takes more than 35 minutes by road.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to officially inaugurate the 82-kilometer-long Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut corridor's first phase next week. The first phase would see the opening of five stations, totalling 17 kilometres in length: Sahibabad, Ghaziabad, Guldhar, Duhai, and Duhai Depot, according to officials, reported The Indian Express.

Also read: RRTS Corridor: PM Modi to inaugurate RAPIDX train next week

It also reported that a total of 10 trains would run along the mentioned route, and each quick rail will hold 1,700 people.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will also visit Ghaziabad on October 19 to inspect the RAPIDX station in Sahibabad. Officials from the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC), which is implementing the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) project across NCR, will give a presentation to the CM about the details of RAPIDX operations.

“The inauguration date has not been finalised yet, but we are fully prepared for its operation. The CM will inspect the station and related services. Our next target is to complete all work related next phase which will cover a distance of 42 km from Sahibabad to Meerut South. Four more stations will become operational in the next phase,”said Puneet Vats, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO), NCRTC to The Indian Express.

The Navratri celebration falls on the same day as the inauguration ceremony for the train, which is the first one in the nation to be piloted by women. This event will take place on the Sahibabad to Duhai Depot priority rail route, which was finished being built around four to five months ago.

The 82-km long RRTS network is being built at a cost of 30,274 crore to connect the three cities of Delhi, Ghaziabad, and Meerut. 800,000 daily passengers are likely to be served once the complete project is slated to be operational in March 2025.

Key Features:
The RAPIDX system is supposed to run at a speed of 180 km/h, which is comparable to the wide gauge Vande Bharat's design speed. This makes it India's quickest urban transit system.

Each RAPIDX train has six coaches, four of which are standard and one of which is a luxury coach with reclining seats and increased leg room. The exclusive lounge will lead to the luxury carriage. Every train would have a separate, all-female carriage, just like the Delhi Metro.

Each train consists of 407 seats arranged in a 2×2 layout while 1,061 passengers can stand inside the rail. Each seat has an overhead rack with plenty of room for bags. Aside from the free onboard WiFi on the train, each seat will also have its own charging station.