NCRTC completes installation of precast slab track on Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut corridor
The National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) has completed the installation of the entire 169 track-km (TKM) of precast slab track on the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Rapid Rail Transit System (RRTS) corridor. According to NCRTC, the work involved the production and installation of nearly 47,000 high-precision precast track slabs for the main line, which runs across both elevated viaducts and underground sections.
This marks a major milestone in India’s first-of-its-kind semi-high-speed regional rail project, it said. NCRTC said that for the first time in the country, turnouts on precast track slabs were conceived and implemented. “A total of 135 turnouts have been installed, the agency said, each involving eight configurations and comprising 15 slabs. In total, the project involved slabs of 140 different types,” it stated. “The logistics of handling and installing such a varied inventory was a significant challenge,” NCRTC said, adding that successful management of this aspect was critical to meeting the corridor’s stringent timelines. It stated that trains are currently being tested at speeds of 180 kmph on the corridor, while the operational speed will be 160 kmph.
The track system used for the project has been designed to support these speeds reliably, it added. “The track is one of the most critical components of any high-speed rail network, as it does not have any redundancy,” NCRTC said. “Selection of the right system and ensuring proper installation is essential,” the corporation added.
It further said that a system provider was involved from the early stages, supporting technology transfer through design, equipment selection, approvals, surveys, training, and troubleshooting during installation. Currently, a 55-km stretch of the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Namo Bharat corridor, from New Ashok Nagar to Meerut South, is operational with 11 stations. Trial runs are underway on other segments, and NCRTC aims to make the entire 82-km corridor fully operational by the end of this year.
