New Delhi: The National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) has successfully completed a scheduled trial run of the Namo Bharat trains along the entire 82 km stretch from Delhi’s Sarai Kale Khan to Modipuram in Meerut, clocking the journey in under an hour.

In a major boost to India’s first Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS), the trial also saw Meerut Metro trains running alongside Namo Bharat trains, with all systems performing successfully.

The high-speed Namo Bharat trains, designed for a maximum operational speed of 160 kmph, stopped at all stations along the route and still managed to complete the journey within the targeted time, showcasing the efficiency and readiness of the corridor connecting Delhi, Ghaziabad, and Meerut.

The corridor is equipped with the world's first deployment of an advanced ETCS Level 3 hybrid signalling system over an LTE backbone. This signalling system, integrated successfully with platform screen doors (PSDs) installed at every station, successfully completed testing without any interruption, highlighting the system's readiness.

At present, a 55 km section of the corridor with 11 stations is already operational for passengers. Final finishing works and trial runs are progressing rapidly on the remaining portions -- the 4.5 km stretch between Sarai Kale Khan and New Ashok Nagar in Delhi, and the approximately 23 km stretch between Meerut South and Modipuram in Meerut.

This milestone achieved by NCRTC is a significant indicator of progress toward the full commissioning of the Namo Bharat corridor.

Trial runs of the Meerut Metro between Meerut South and Modipuram Depot are also progressing rapidly. This is the first time in the country that local metro services will be provided on the same basic infrastructure as Namo Bharat trains.

The 23 km section of Meerut Metro consists of 13 stations, with 18 km of the route elevated and 5 km underground. (ANI)