Context: Recently, the Prime Minister of India inaugurated the first leg of the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS), India’s first mass rapid system dedicated to regional connectivity.

About Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS)

• RRTS  is an integrated, mass transit network which aims to ensure “balanced and sustainable urban development” through better connectivity and access across the NCR.

• It is constructed by the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC), which is a joint venture company of the Central government and the governments of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh.

• It is modelled on systems such as the RER in Paris, Regional-Express trains in Germany and Austria, as well as the SEPTA Regional Rail in the United States, among others.

• The National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB) recommended eight RRTS corridors to connect NCR towns with high speed rail-based commuter transit services.

• Eight corridors will be developed under the project, of which three are being constructed under phase I: the 82-km Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut, the 164-km Delhi-Gurugram-SNB-Alwar, and the 103-km Delhi-Panipat corridors.

• Implementing Agency: National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) Or Namo Bharat under Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. 

• NCRTC is a joint venture company of the Central government and Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

• The RRTS is modeled on systems such as the RER in Paris, Regional-Express trains in Germany and Austria as well as the SEPTA Regional Rail in the United States.

• These trains will travel significantly faster than metro trains. These will operate at a speed of 160 km/hour but are designed to be able to run at speeds up to 180 km/hour. 

The significance of this system

• When compared with metros, the RRTS network is faster. It will cater to commuters who want to travel relatively longer distances across the NCR in a short time.

• Compared with the Indian Railways, though the RRTS train will cover relatively smaller distances, it will do so at higher frequency and provide relatively more comfort than the average railway coach.

Benefits

• Faster: Unlike metros, the RRTS network is faster. It will cater to commuters who want to travel relatively longer distances across the National Capital Region (NCR) in a short time.

• Higher Frequency: Compared with the Indian Railways, though the RRTS train will cover relatively smaller distances, it will do so at higher frequency and provide relatively more comfort than the average Railways coach.

• Connectivity: It will enhance multi-modal connectivity at the existing transportation hubs within NCR.

• Employment Generation: It aims to give a push to employment generation and the opening up of newer commercial hubs along the current contours of the NCR.