Spike in RRTS ridership during Kanwar diversions
Officials said there was a surge as the ridership rose to a daily average of about 20,000 between July 24 and August 2
Ghaziabad: Officials of the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) said that Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS), which operates the Namo Bharat trains, reported a surge in ridership in Ghaziabad in last week of the month of July. The period was one when the annual Kanwar Yatra was in full swing and major traffic diversions were put in place by the traffic police.
The daily average ridership of 13,000 for July (up to July 23) swelled to nearly 20,000 in the last 10 days, officials said.
The event peaked in the last week of July, forcing nearly full closure of Delhi Meerut Road for passage of pilgrims via Ghaziabad city. The newly established infrastructure of the 34km stretch (comprising 8 stations) of the RRTS corridor in Ghaziabad, serves as a lifeline for thousands of commuters.
According to official statistics of the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC), the agency developing the RRTS project, the average daily ridership from July 1 to 23 was about 13,000 passengers at eight stations in Ghaziabad. These are the only operational RRTS stations for the 82km proposed project. RRTS is proposed to link Delhi, Ghaziabad and Meerut.
Officials said there was a surge as the ridership rose to a daily average of about 20,000 between July 24 and August 2 – when the Delhi Meerut Road was shut for heavy and light vehicles.
“There was a marked rise in ridership during the last week of July and it continued till August 2. On July 29, the ridership reached 27,000,” said an NCRTC spokesperson.
Locals said that opening of the Meerut (south) station, adding another 8km stretch to the existing 34km network, could have benefited more commuters. “If the route from Modinagar (north) was made operational beforehand up to Meerut (south), passengers from Meerut would have also benefitted during the diversion,” said Ruchin Mehra, a resident of Raj Nagar Extension.
NCRTC had earlier said: “The Meerut (south) station of the RRTS corridor is near completion. The 8km section, extending beyond the already operational Sahibabad to Modinagar (north) station, is likely to be open soon.”
This line has already got clearance from the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety in June, a mandatory step to commence operations.
Some residents shared their daily ordeal.
“My son travels daily to his office near Vaishali, taking 30-35 minutes in bus. During the Kanwar period, I used to drop him to Duhai RRTS station, travelling up to Sahibabad RRTS station. He would then board autos or take lifts from others to reach further to his office,” said Vivek Tyagi, resident of sector-23, Sanjay Nagar.
Police said that the congestion rose only marginally. “There was no diversion on Delhi Meerut Road during Kanwar period and two-wheeler, cars etc, were plying on one side of the Delhi Meerut Road. The intersections were also open. If normally it took 10 minutes then it took about 13 minutes during Yatra. The DME was restricted only for four hours on a day on Delhi side,” said Piyush Singh, additional superintendent of police (former additional DCP, traffic.
The administration also ordered closure of schools/colleges across the district from July 29 to August 2 due to major diversions.
Office bearers of Indian Industries Association (IIA - Ghaziabad chapter) said that they estimate the Kanwar diversions’ daily cost may have run up to ₹100-150 crore for the small and medium units in the region.
“It is of utmost importance that Kanwar Yatra passes through a dedicated route/road so that cities do not come to a standstill. There is huge dent on economic activity… Overhead costs skyrocket,” said Rakesh Aneja, secretary of IIA - Ghaziabad chapter.
In Ghaziabad, majority of the 34km RRTS stretch is located on the central verge of the Delhi Meerut Road and the same alignment is proposed up to Meerut (south).
Officials informed that there was a surge as the RRTS’ ridership spiked to a daily average of about 20,000 between July 24 and August 2. This is the period when the Delhi Meerut Road was shut for heavy and light vehicles due to Yatra.
“The Namo Bharat train services continued as usual during the period and operated normally for passengers. There was a marked rise in ridership during the last week of July and it continued till August 2. On July 29, the ridership reached 27,000,” said an NCRTC spokesperson.
For the convenience of passengers, officials said, the agency decided to shut side gates located next to the Meerut-Ghaziabad carriageway of the Delhi Meerut Road. This, they said, was done to avoid any inconvenience to passengers due to traffic restrictions on the carriageway.
“The Namo Bharat train came in handy when the diversions were in place. Although reaching the Ghaziabad station was tough due to road traffic, the ride to Modinagar (on Delhi Meerut Road) was smooth with Namo Bharat trains. During Kanwar diversions, it was not possible to move so easily and timely on the Delhi Meerut Road,” said Namita Sharma, a commuter.