The National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC), which is constructing the 82km long Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) from Delhi to Meerut, has started placing special steel spans for smooth movement of RRTS trains over the Ghazipur drain in Delhi.
Officials said the NCRTC usually erects pillars at an average distance of 34 metres for the elevated viaduct of the RRTS corridor and these pillars are joined by precast segments to form the RRTS viaduct span.
However, in some areas, where the corridor crosses over rivers, bridges, rail crossings, metro corridors, expressways or other such infrastructure, it is practically impossible to maintain this distance between pillars and, in such areas, steel spans are placed to connect the pillars, officials added.
NCRTC officials said the agency has so far successfully placed six major spans on the RRTS corridor and one over the Ghazipur drain.
“The combined length of these six steel spans is 350 metres. This is the only section on the entire RRTS corridor where such a long viaduct is being constructed with steel spans. The special steel span, weighing 560 tonnes, has been installed in the Kondli area, near the New Ashok Nagar RRTS station,” said Puneet Vats, chief public relations officer, NCRTC.
“The span installed parallel to the Ghazipur drain is about 70 metres long and 14 metres wide. It was placed on pillars, at a height of about six metres from the ground with the help of big cranes. Another five spans to be installed in the area are under construction and likely to be placed in the coming months. The spans are placed just before the area where the RRTS trains will move to the 5.5km underground section and again emerge towards the elevated section near Vaishali in Ghaziabad,” Vats said.
The 82km RRTS project is being built at a cost of ₹30,274 crore and aims to provide high-speed train connectivity between Delhi, Ghaziabad and Meerut. A 17km priority stretch in Ghaziabad is likely to get commissioned by June 2023.
Officials said the RRTS corridor is progressing parallel to the Ghazipur drain and these special steel spans are being installed only where the train corridor crosses over the drain. They added that the train corridor will also cross over the road near Kondli Chowk.
Of the six spans, the length of three spans will be approximately 70 metres each while the remaining three will measure 50 metres each.
The NCRTC has so far placed six special steel spans on the RRTS corridor and these include a 50m span in Meerut on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway (DME), a 73m special span in Vasundhara over the main line of the railway, a 150m span near Ghaziabad RRTS station, two 45m spans going towards Duhai depot and a 73m span for crossing the Eastern Peripheral Expressway in Ghaziabad.
