The Hindu took a ride on RapidX ahead of its maiden journey and witnessed the train, which boasts an average speed of 100 km/hr, zoom past cars on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway.
The first phase of the route — a 17-km stretch — will be inaugurated on October 20. The train will stop at five stations — Sahibabad, Ghaziabad, Guldhar, Duhai, and Duhai Depot — on the stretch, which is part of the 82-km Delhi-Meerut corridor that is expected to be fully operational by 2025.
RapidX will begin services on a 17-km stretch of the Delhi-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System after its inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday.
Each compartment has two rows of seats on either side of a spacious aisle, where passengers can stand and travel.
Multiple CCTVs are installed in every coach with field officers at the respective stations reviewing the footage.
The platforms are equipped with public address systems that will announce the arrival of upcoming trains.
While a ticket for a seat in the standard coach costs ₹20, passengers have to shell out double that amount to enjoy a ride in the premium coach.
The train will run on a stretch that is part of the 82-km Delhi-Meerut corridor, which is expected to be fully operational by 2025.
The train will stop at five stations: Sahibabad, Ghaziabad, Guldhar, Duhai, and Duhai Depot.
All doors have first-of-its-kind manual locks that passengers can unlock to open the doors at a station in case they fail to open automatically.
The premium lounge is furnished with foam, velvet seats.
The train has five standard coaches, with one reserved for women, and a premium coach.
Every station has platform screen doors (PSDs) integrated with the train doors and signalling system.
Passengers travelling on the premium coach will also gain access to the premium lounge.
The stations are painted in turquoise and beige.
Buildings seen through the window of a RapidX train.
Passengers travelling on the premium coach will have to pass through additional AFC gates on the boarding platform, which will deduct an additional amount from the ticket for using the luxury compartment.
Published - October 19, 2023 11:03 am IST
