RapidX, the nation’s inaugural semi-high speed regional rail service, has been rebranded as NaMo Bharat, just a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to kick off the train. The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has announced that PM Modi will inaugurate the RapidX train, connecting Sahibabad and Duhai Depot stations in Uttar Pradesh, signifying the commencement of the RRTS in India.
This initiative is seen as a groundbreaking regional development project, with the goal of providing high-speed intercity commute trains every 15 minutes, with the capability to increase frequency to as often as every five minutes as needed, as stated by the PMO.
The Congress party took a dig at PM Modi regarding the renaming, citing the Namo stadium and now Namo trains, criticizing what they consider to be his excessive self-centeredness. A cricket stadium in Ahmedabad has already been named after PM Modi.
The 17-kilometer inaugural section of the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS Corridor is scheduled to be accessible to passengers from October 21, following its formal launch. This section, extending from Sahibabad to Duhai Depot, encompasses five stations, namely Sahibabad, Ghaziabad, Guldhar, Duhai, and Duhai Depot.
Safety measures onboard the train include CCTV cameras, an emergency door-opening mechanism, and a button for communicating with the train operator. While trains can run at speeds of up to 160 kilometers per hour on this corridor, officials indicate that the operational speed will be lower.
The Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut corridor is being constructed at an expense exceeding ₹30,000 crore and will link Delhi to Meerut within an hour, passing through urban centers such as Ghaziabad, Muradnagar, and Modinagar, according to the PMO.
