The National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) has reached a major milestone in regional connectivity by completing tunneling for the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) corridor. The breakthrough was marked by the successful retrieval of the Sudarshan 4.4 Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) in Vaishali, Ghaziabad, completing the 2km tunnel between Anand Vihar and Sahibabad. This achievement marks the end of tunnelling for the entire 82 km corridor, increasing the remaining 70 km.

NCRTC used seven state-of-the-art Sudarshan TBMs for the 12 km long underground section, with more than 80,000 pre-cast segments forming the tunnel rings. The diameter of the RRTS tunnels is 6.5 m, optimised for a design speed of 180 km/h. The challenging tunnel journey successfully navigated in close proximity to industrial buildings, power lines, existing subway structures and densely populated urban areas.

Now that the tunnel construction has been completed, the focus shifts to the laying of tracks and the electrification overhead. NCRTC aims to open the 82km corridor to public use by 2025, with a 17km priority section between Sahibabad and Duhai Depot coming into operation soon.