Explained: Why RAPIDX is urban transport's Next Big train of thought

There will be many new RRTS proposals in the next six months

The much-awaited Delhi-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) project will be the next revolutionary transformation in public transport after Metro rail, says Vinay Kumar Singh, Managing Director of the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC), ahead of the launch of the Sahibabad-Duhai section of the intercity rail corridor.

“When Delhi Metro came, we had no standard of efficiency. There were a lot of challenges, but it was also the first huge transformation for India’s public transport infrastructure. Now, every element of RRTS technology is entirely new for India — from traction to station development. We are also the first public transport corporation to go for privatised operation and maintenance. RRTS will be the Next Big transformation in urban transport,” Singh tells Business Standard.

With trainsets having a design speed of 180 kilometres per hour (kph) and an operational speed of up to 160 kph, the Rs 30,000-crore corridor, known as RAPIDX, is set to transform the urban landscape on the oft-ignored Ghaziabad-Meerut side of the National Capital Region, bringing transit time to well within an hour.

Singh says trains are already running successfully on the 17-km Sahibabad-Duhai section, and will be opened for passenger operations any time soon.

The urban transporter is now working on the Duhai-Meerut South section, which it hopes to complete three months ahead of schedule, in what will be a departure from the standard practice of delays ubiquitous to Indian infrastructure. The plan now is to commission 20 km of the corridor every six months.

The project will be completed well within the sanctioned cost estimates, observes Singh.

The Delhi-Meerut RRTS was given the green light in 2019 to decongest the national Capital by making efficient public transport accessible in adjoining areas. The transporter has been given the mandate to work on eight corridors, of which three are priority and five are Phase II.

All eyes will be on the fate of this new system, as more states adopt the transit-oriented development (TOD) policy.

“State governments are very keen. Many have started working on proposals, but a real understanding of the system will come once the priority section starts. Once people see the speed and riding experience, a lot of demand will emerge from the public itself. Over the next six months, there will be a lot of new proposals. Already, Telangana, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh are working on corridors, such as Lucknow-Kanpur, Faridabad-Gurugram, and Vijayawada-Hyderabad,” he adds.

Officials said that ome of these new proposed corridors, such as Faridabad-Gurugram, may also get taken up before Phase II if states accord priority status to them. Singh says talks are underway to expand the number of priority corridors.

However, NCRTC is also responsible for executing the other two priority corridors sanctioned in the functional transport plan for 2032 — Delhi-Alwar and Delhi-Panipat — which are not doing as well.

“Delhi-Alwar is the second priority corridor. The stretch between Delhi and Shahjahanpur (106 km) has been approved in principle by the governments of Haryana, Rajasthan, and Delhi, but the Delhi government said it cannot provide financial support. Hence, the central government is not able to push it for sanctioning,” says Singh.

The Supreme Court recently asked the Delhi government to expedite approval and financial transfers for RRTS corridors, which officials hope will set the wheels in motion for upcoming corridors. According to reports on Saturday, the Delhi government has now paid its second instalment of Rs 500 crore to the NCRTC, pursuant to court directions. It has also been asked to account for the new corridors in its state Budget.

The Delhi government was under fire recently for declining to provide any financial support to the cash-strapped Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) in its payment of dues to Reliance Infrastructure in the Delhi Airport Express Line case.

Besides delay, issues with the Delhi government’s funding will also ricochet on other governments’ fiscal numbers, says Singh.

“Every year of delay is an escalation of at least 5 per cent capital cost. For a project worth Rs 30,000-40,000 crore, the escalation is between Rs 1,500 crore and Rs 2,000 crore every year. The escalation is largely falling on the Centre and other state governments. And for no fault of their own, other governments are suffering,” he says.

Financial viability has been a major concern for transport corporations across modes in nearly every state. The pandemic saw the finances of even a successful corporation like DMRC dwindle, which begs the obvious question of financial sustainability as this corridor opens doors for the public. For Singh, the key monitorable, like all Metro corporations, is non-fare revenue.

“We have to have a sensitive approach while fixing the fare. We don’t want to lose ridership as purchasing power is limited. Financial viability is secondary and must be ensured through non-fare revenue avenues,” says Singh.

The transporter is hoping to follow in the footsteps of the Hong Kong Mass Transit Railway, which works on a rail + property monetisation model, allowing it to not only benefit from land rights around station areas (which are then developed into commercial properties) but also allow for healthy revenue streams every year through leasing. It also uses those proceeds to fund future corridors. 

While the exact financial model is not adopted in India, development of property around stations is an essential facet of the TOD policy. 

“For this, the state governments have to make a lot of land available near stations. We are extensively working on new ideas in terms of monetisation,” he says.

NCRTC is working to bring amusement parks, water parks, hospitals, and other developmental and recreational infrastructure near its stations to drive traffic, along with its plan to monetise property and land parcels in Jangpura, Ghaziabad, Duhai, and Sarai Kale Khan.

“In many areas, we have also floated expressions of interest to assess market appetite. The market is also awaiting actual ridership before any revenue commitments can be made. We are figuring out if we can go for a short-term contract first to account for developments after the corridor opens,” he says.

However, it is not the success of urban rail transport but the financial model that puts pressure on urban transport corporations in India.

“We have the responsibility to repay 60 per cent of debt from the capital cost, which is owed to multilateral agencies. This is something unique we do in India, which is not done generally outside,” he adds.