BERLIN – Bombardier Transportation and India’s National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) celebrated the unveiling of train design for India’s first Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS). The train design was unveiled by Durga Shanker Mishra, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India in the presence of Vinay Kumar Singh, Managing Director leading the NCRTC team and Rajeev Joisar, Managing Director leading the Bombardier Transportation team in India.
Bombardier was awarded the contract by NCRTC earlier this year to design, build and deliver the regional commuter and intracity transit trains with comprehensive maintenance services for the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut semi-high-speed rail corridor under RRTS Phase 1. The fresh, modern and advanced nature of the new train design is inspired by Delhi’s iconic monument, The Lotus Temple, resonating a unique amalgamation of sustainability and India’s rich heritage.
“These energy-efficient trains with exceptional ergonomics and low life cycle costs will contribute towards making India’s first RRTS futuristic and sustainable. Clubbed with state-of-the-art commuter centric features, RRTS is going to transform the way people travel in NCR and set a new benchmark for similar projects in the future,” said Vinay Kumar Singh, Managing Director of National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC).
“Bombardier is proud to be partner for NCRTC’s flagship project to deliver the new RRTS trains. These trains are being designed locally and incorporate latest technologies and features. Bombardier will deliver and maintain RRTS trains in accordance with our country’s ‘Make in India’ guidelines. These energy efficient semi-high-speed trains will enhance passenger experience in terms of comfort, safety, journey time and will be a game-changer in the regional rail segment in India benefitting millions of people and contributing towards socio-economic development,” said Rajeev Joisar.
The RRTS feature-packed train design, developed in collaboration with NCRTC’s experienced team, will offer a host of safety, security and environmental benefits while keeping passenger comfort at the forefront. The semi-high-speed aerodynamic trainsets will have a 2 + 2 transverse seating arrangement with comfortable seat pitches, standing spaces and automatic plug-in type sliding doors. The air-conditioned trains will also provide space for luggage, CCTV cameras for enhanced security and offer the choice of business class seating as well as a car designated for women in the six-car trainsets for regional services. The interior of the new trains will offer an accessible and welcoming environment for passengers.
The new trains will accommodate around 900 passengers in the three-car train configuration for the Meerut local transit services. When configured into six-car trainsets for RRTS, the trains will be able to accommodate as many as 1,790 passengers to significantly increase public transport capacity between Delhi and Meerut. With their modular design, the RRTS trains can be expanded to nine-car trainsets.
The design takes inspiration from The Lotus Temple which was developed for sustainability with its natural lighting and natural air circulation to keep the building cool. This sustainable design flows into the new trains as Bombardier’s engineers have designed efficient lighting and temperature control systems that will enhance the passengers’ experience and reduce energy consumption.
The 82-kilometre Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS boasts a 180 kmph design speed, one of the fastest in India and it will have 24 stations. The trains will reduce travel time from Meerut to Delhi to less than 60 minutes and expected ridership is around 800,000 passengers daily. Local transit services between Meerut South and Modipuram Depot Station with 13 stations over 21 km on the RRTS infrastructure will provide local mobility services for Meerut’s citizens and deliver efficient regional connectivity.
RRTS is India’s first project to include maintenance services as part of the rolling stock tender process and Bombardier local teams will provide maintenance services for a period of 15 years through two maintenance depots established by NCRTC in Duhai and Modipuram.
About National Capital Region Transport Corporation
Established in 2013, National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC), a Joint Venture of the Government of India and the State Governments of NCT Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, is mandated to implement the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) project across the National Capital Region and will build a 383 km network of semi-high-speed (design speed 180 kmph and maximum operation speed of 160 kmph), high frequency commuter rail lines connecting Delhi with cities in adjoining states, to ensure a balanced and sustainable urban development through better connectivity and access. More information is available on their website: https://www.ncrtc.in/
About Bombardier Transportation in India
With around 1,500 employees, Bombardier Transportation in India operates a rail vehicle manufacturing site and bogie assembly hall at Savli, near Vadodara, Gujarat. This is in addition to a propulsion system manufacturing facility at Maneja, near Vadodara, a Rail Control Solutions centre for project delivery and product engineering and an Information Services India hub near Gurugram, Delhi NCR and an Engineering Centre in Hyderabad.
