Alstom, a global ‘sustainable mobility’ company, has delivered the first indigenously manufactured train for India’s Meerut Metro to the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC). This delivery is part of a contract signed by Alstom in 2020 for 210 carriages for the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS). The first train was ‘flagged off’ at a ceremony held at Alstom’s manufacturing facility at Savli in Gujarat.

The Meerut Metro is an urban ‘mass rapid transit system’ (MRTS) that will operate on the 25km stretch of Line-1 connecting Partapur to Modipuram via 11 stations. Three stations on this line will provide connectivity to the RRTS connecting Delhi and Meerut.

Alstom will supply 30 coaches that will serve the line in a configuration of 10 trains of three carriages each; this rolling stock is based on Alstom’s Adessia commuter train family. The primary purpose of this MRTS is a feeder to RRTS and a metro for the Meerut region.

Olivier Loison, Alstom India’s managing director, said: “The Meerut Metro project is a step forward in India’s ambition to modernise intracity and intercity rail travel and we are delighted to be delivering our next generation products towards realising this vision.”

Shri Vinay Kumar Singh, NCRTC’s managing director, said “Namo Bharat trains — an Indian ‘electric multiple unit’ (EMU) train built for our RapidX Regional Rapid Transport System, designed by Alstom at its engineering centre in Hyderabad, and manufactured in Savli — and Meerut Metro, are a testament to our unwavering commitment towards the realisation of the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan for multi-modal connectivity. In a first-of-its-kind initiative in the country, both these services will run on the same RRTS infrastructure.

“Moreover, the modern Meerut Metro trains, which have been designed and manufactured indigenously under the Make-in-India initiative, will play a key role in promoting balanced and sustainable economic development of the region. Their advanced design will bring significant efficiencies by incorporating energy-saving technologies that include efficient propulsion systems and regenerative braking.”