G20 podium
Team Blitz India
THE symbolism of RapidX, India’s first Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS), flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 10, goes far beyond an inaugural ceremony.
It is a reiteration of our tech prowess, a celebration of the country’s transformative digital journey, and a “glimpse of India of the future”, as stated by PM Modi. The inauguration of the 17-kilometer section from Sahibabad to Duhai Depot is a prelude to the 82-kilometer Delhi-Meerut Corridor and marks the culmination of a four-year journey that started in 2019.
Just like his ‘Chai pe Charcha’, ‘Mann ki Baat’, his walk on Rajpath post the Republic Day parade, and other people’s touch-points, PM Modi made the launch of RRTS equally special by engaging with school kids and the Rail staff as he took the first ride.
Scheduled to be operational in 2025, the two other routes in the pipeline are from Delhi to Alwar via Gurgaon and Delhi to Panipat. The flag-off ceremony was also attended by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath along with other senior officials from the Government. While Day 1 ridership crossed the 10,000 mark, over 2000 people downloaded the Namo Bharat Connect app, which helps commuters navigate rapid rail and buy tickets within a few hours of the launch.
With the launch of RapidX, India has inked its name in the list of the world’s high-speed rail systems, including the California high-speed rail network; Saudi Arabia’s Haramain high-speed railway project; HighSpeed 2 (HS2), United Kingdom; Hefei-Fuzhou highspeed rail line, China; Argentine high-speed railway, Argentina; and Follo high-speed rail line, Norway, amongst others.
