RapidX - India’s first semi high-speed regional train inaugurated

On 20 October 2023 Alstom reached a milestone for India’s rail revolution with the inauguration of RapidX, which forms part of the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS). The latter is a new, dedicated high capacity 160 km/h commuter service linking regional nodes in National Capital Region (NCR). There are eight RRTS corridors planned, the first one between Delhi and Meerut will be called RapidX.

India's first semi-high-speed regional rail service was flagged off by the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi alongside the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Shri Yogi Adityanath and other government dignitaries. 

The first phase, i. e. the Duhai - Sahibabad section (17 km) of the Delhi - Meerut corridor which will be operational from 21 October for general public also marks the world debut of the ETCS Level 3. This will not only contribute to safety, but also will facilitate interoperability, reduce wait time and enable efficiency. It will be equipped with Automatic Train Operation (ATO) over Long Term Evolution (LTE) in the future to further increase in network performance and capacity.

Designed and manufactured in India, the RAPIDX reinstates Alstom’s commitment to Atmanirbhar Bharat ('self-reliant India') with end-to-end engineering, manufacturing and signalling work done in India. In the last two years, Alstom’s more than 360 engineers and designers devoted thousands of hours and ran hundreds of hours of tests to deliver the phase-I commitments to National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC). The company is aiming to also achieve its delivery commitments by 2025. 

Alstom India is making the world debut of ETCS Level 3 signalling, with integrated Platform Screen Doors using Long Term Evolution (LTE) communication with the RAPIDX. ETCS will not only facilitate interoperability but will also allow to optimise the usage of existing infrastructure, thus reducing the waiting time for passengers. It provides high level of safety for trains running at close headway of 180 seconds by virtual block implementation (Hybrid Level 3) to ensure continuous and safe separation and eliminates accidents due to human error. This service also comes with Automatic Train Protection (ATP), Traffic Management System (TMS), Platform Screen Door (PSD) sub-systems using Long Term Evolution (LTE) communication between track side and train.

Designed at Alstom’s Hyderabad engineering center and manufactured at Savli (Gujarat), these trains perfectly align with the government’s Make-in-India and Aatmanirbhar Bharat ambition. The rolling stock is based on Alstom’s Adessia commuter train family, incorporating worldwide experience. The propulsion systems and electricals are manufactured at the company’s factory in Maneja (Gujarat).

In 2020, Alstom (initially Bombardier Transportation) was awarded the contract and the scope of work includes:
- design, building and delivery the trainsets formed by 210 cars,
- design, supply and installation of the signalling, train control and telecommunication system, platform screen door,
- comprehensive maintenance services for 15 years.

The primary purpose of this Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) is to relieve the traffic congestion in the national capital and de-urbanise the city by allowing faster commute between nearby satellite towns. Since 2002, after the opening of 1st section of DMRC, the metro network has grown at a rapid pace. The RRTS network will complement the metro and is expected to grow very fast in the country. The train design was inspired by Delhi’s iconic monument, the Lotus Temple, and unveiled in September 2020.