Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Tokhan Sahu on Saturday travelled on the Namo Bharat Train while visiting Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS project, the first in country. He was accompanied by NCRTC Managing Director Shalabh Goel and other senior NCRTC officials.

The visit commenced from the NCRTC headquarters, Gati Shakti Bhawan, INA Delhi. NCRTC officials briefed him on various steps being taken to ensure construction quality. He was also briefed on efforts to facilitate pilgrimages during the kanwar yatra.

Following this, the Minister reached the Sahibabad RRTS station, where he interacted with the women station controllers and other staff, learning about their contributions to a smooth passenger experience on the Namo Bharat Train.

He then traveled from Sahibabad RRTS Station to Duhai Depot on a Namo Bharat train. Officials informed him that the Namo Bharat train has transported over 17 lakh passengers. He was also briefed on passenger amenities including special premium coaches, luggage racks, mobile charging at every seat, designated wheelchair spaces, food vending machines, and stretcher space for emergencies.

Sahu visited the workshop and Inspection-Bay-Line (IBL) of the Duhai depot and met the personnel working there, inquiring about their work. He also visited the Center for Innovation, 'Aparimit,' located here and saw the state-of-the-art AR-VR lab. NCRTC is using many advanced technologies like virtual reality, augmented reality, building information modeling, etc. for project implementation, operational efficiency, and training purposes.

Several cutting-edge technologies are being used in the implementation of this project, many of which are being employed for the first time globally under the Make-in-India initiative. This aligns with the vision of Make-in-India and Aatmanirbhar Bharat envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. During his visit, Sahu planted a sapling in the Duhai depot premises.

Currently, Namo Bharat trains are operating on a 34 km section between Sahibabad and Modinagar North, serving passengers at 8 stations. The Namo Bharat train service is on track for expansion across the entire Delhi-Meerut RRTS corridor by June 2025.