NCRTC to offer EV charging facilities at RRTS stations – EQ Mag Pro
Ghaziabad: The National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) which has undertaken the 82-kilometre-long Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) project to link Delhi, Ghaziabad and Meerut has planned to incorporate electric vehicle charging points in stations.
The officials of NCRTC said that they have invited partners for the purpose and a detailed study will also be conducted at the earliest.
The first RRTS project in the country is pegged at ₹30,274 crore and will connect Delhi, Ghaziabad and Meerut. Once complete, the project will reduce travel time to 50-55 minutes. According to estimates of the detailed project report, the high-speed train network will attract about 800,000 passengers on a daily basis. It will also have 25 stations in the three cities.
“We are trying to make it convenient to the public and have planned to incorporate electric vehicle charging facilities at our stations. For this, we have invited experts and they will conduct a study about the options that can be made available at the stations. This will be helpful for electric vehicles as their number is expected to rise in the next couple of years when the RRTS project gets commissioned,” said Puneet Vats, chief public relations officer (PRO), NCRTC.
The entire 82-kilometre stretch is likely to get commissioned in March, 2025, while a 17-kilometre stretch in Ghaziabad (between Sahibabad and Duhai) is being developed as a priority section and will be opened up for passenger operations in March, 2023.
“With electric vehicle charging facilities, passengers will be benefitted and they can save time. The move will also encourage the use of electric vehicles and lead to a cleaner environment,” Vats added.
The agency has planned to incorporate the charging facilities in the first phase itself. According to official estimates, the RRTS project will reduce carbon emission by taking around 150,000 private vehicles off the road on a daily basis. NCRTC officials added that the project is estimated to increase the share of public transport from about 37% to 63%.
“A major project incorporating these features will help in preserving the environment and also provide facilities for passengers. They will also gradually opt for electric vehicles for intra-city commuting,” said Akash Vashishtha, a Ghaziabad-based environmentalist.
The eight proposed corridors of the RRTS project include Delhi-Meerut, Delhi-Alwar, Delhi-Panipat, Delhi-Palwal, Delhi-Khurja, Delhi-Rohtak, Delhi-Hapur and Delhi-Baraut, officials said.
NCRTC officials added that the Delhi-Meerut, Delhi-Alwar and Delhi-Panipat corridors are slotted under the first phase of the RRTS project.
Source: PTI
