RRTS to also carry freight? India’s very first regional rapid transit corridors may also facilitate freight movement, along with providing seamless transit travel in the national capital region (NCR). The National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC), which is executing the project, is mulling options for the regional rapid transit system (RRTS) becoming a preferred mode for the industry by aiding their logistics and transportation needs. According to information shared by NCRTC with Financial Express Online, representatives from various logistics organizations including Amazon, Flipkart, BigBasket, CONCOR and Delhivery are in discussions with NCRTC for the possibility of logistics services through RRTS corridors in NCR.
Considering the rising vehicular congestion as well as pollution in NCR, the freight movement through RRTS corridors is being explored. Vinay Kumar Singh, MD, NCRTC has said that RRTS will be a mainline high-speed mobility system in NCR and the system which is primarily being implemented for commuter movement, is being explored to utilize its capacity during lean period for freight movement. He added that apart from its numerous benefits as a green corridor, it would act as a catalyst for economic growth. Moreover, the existing supply chains are suffering from various perennial issues such as pilferages, lack of cold chain facilities and excessive transportation time due to entry restrictions.
According to NCRTC, the RRTS project has been envisioned to serve as a more sustainable alternative for the urban freight movement in NCR by handling goods at its depots. The high-speed transport with assurance of no pilferages, availability of cold-chain system, seamless storage as well as integration with first and last-mile connectivity is a promising proposition for the logistics industry. The depots proposed along RRTS corridors of Phase 1 are at the strategic locations, which are as follows:
- Duhai and Modipuram depots on Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor
- Murthal and Panipat depots on Delhi-Panipat RRTS corridor
- Dharuhera depot on Delhi-Gurugram-SNB RRTS section which is a part of Delhi-Alwar RRTS
The logistics services through RRTS corridors may prove to be a good option for transporting time-sensitive commodities. The RRTS network has a strong potential to also become a preferred partner for e-commerce logistics.
The very first RRTS corridor which has been targeted to become operational by the year 2023 is the Sahibabad-Duhai section of the 82 km long Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor. Once fully operational, the Delhi-Meerut RRTS will reduce the travel time between Delhi and Meerut to just 55 minutes. The civil construction activities between Sahibabad-Duhai are already in full swing. The 100th pile foundation was recently completed on the section.