RRTS system NCMC-compliant; coaches, lifts to facilitate patient movement

Ghaziabad: The soon-to-open RRTS Delhi-Meerut Corridor will also facilitate the movement of patients as one general coach in each train will have the space to accommodate a medical stretcher and a wheelchair.

Besides, some of the lifts installed at its stations are elongated for extra room to accommodate a stretcher, officials of the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) said on Wednesday.

The 17-km priority section of the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) Corridor is slated to be opened for passengers on October 21, a day after its inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, they said.

The prime minister will inaugurate the section of at the Sahibabad station and is likely to take a ride on a train of the RAPIDX, India's first semi-high-speed regional rail service, sources said.

The priority section, between Sahibabad and Duhai Depot, has five stations -- Sahibabad, Ghaziabad, Guldhar, Duhai and Duhai Depot. The segment from Duhai to Duhai Depot is a spur from the main corridor.

"A day after the inauguration of the priority section, passengers services will begin from October 21 morning. RAPIDX trains will be operational between 6 am and 11 pm. Initially, trains will be available every 15 minutes, though the frequency can be increased on a requirement basis in the future," an official source told PTI on Tuesday.

Every RAPIDX train will have six coaches, including a premium coach. One coach in every train is reserved for women and it is the coach next to the premium coach.

Also, there are reserved seats for women, specially-abled and senior citizens in other coaches, the sources said.

"These trains will also facilitate the movement of patients and one general coach (the last general coach) in each train will have the facility to accommodate a medical stretcher and a wheelchair. This is because many people travel from Meerut to Delhi for treatment, such as at the AIIMS or other hospitals. The RRTS will facilitate their movement," a senior official said.

This way, they will also save time and beat the vehicular traffic on roads, he said.

The RRTS ticketing system is compliant with the National Common Mobility Card (NCMC), the officials said.

RRTS trains feature several commuter-centric facilities such as overhead luggage racks, Wi-Fi, and mobile and laptop charging facility at every seat.

According to officials, the trains have been designed and manufactured on the basis of international safety standards and have fire detection systems for internal as well as external fire.  The under-construction RRTS Corridor, being built for RAPIDX by the NCRTC, is a joint venture company of the Centre with the governments of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

The NCRTC has been tasked to oversee the construction of the RRTS, between Delhi and Meerut. The entire 82.15-km Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS is targeted to be operational by June 2025.