Ghaziabad, Oct 18 (PTI) A push-button facility on the doors of the trains that will ply on the RRTS Delhi-Meerut Corridor will allow passengers to board and get off the train when it halts at a station, officials said on Wednesday.

This step has been taken as a measure to "save energy", they said, adding that the push-button only gets activated after a train comes to a halt at a station.

Also Read | Madhya Pradesh Assembly Election 2023: Congress Releases Manifesto; Promises Rs 25 Lakh Health Insurance Cover, 27% OBC Quota (See Pics and Video).

The 17-km priority section of the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) Corridor is slated to be opened for passengers on October 21, a day after its inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"Generally, as in metro trains, doors open and close automatically controlled directly through the system mechanism from the train operator's side. However in the RRTS (Delhi-Meerut Corridor) trains, there is a push-button facility which gets activated only after a train comes to a halt at a station,” a senior official of the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) said.

Also Read | What Is APAAR Card? Know All About Unique Identity Cards To Be Rolled Out for Students as Part of ‘One Nation, One ID’ Plan to Track Their Academic Progress.

“After the train stops at a station, a green signal shows on the dial attached with train doors, and then a commuter can push it from inside the coach which will open the door," the official said.

Similarly, a dial on the outer side of the door will help a passenger standing at a platform to open the door of a coach to enter the train, he added.

However, initially, the door operation in coaches will be done automatically, and train attendants and ground staff will assist passengers till they fully get used to this system, officials said.

"We have been conducting 'nukkad natak', outreach programmes in schools, to build awareness about this as well," he said.

The under-construction RRTS Corridor, being built for a semi-high-speed regional rail service named 'RAPIDX' by the NCRTC, is a joint venture company of the Centre with the governments of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

A media preview of the RAPIDX trains was held on Wednesday ahead of the inauguration of the priority section of the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS Corridor.

In every RAPIDX train, a train attendant will be deputed who will play an important role in acquainting the commuters with the facilities available on the train and ensuring their safe and secure commute. He or she will be stationed in the premium coach of a train, and will assist commuters in need, officials said.

The official said opening and closing of train doors consume "a lot of energy" and this way a door will remain closed if there are no passengers to board or deboard near it.

"The step will help in saving energy, but we cannot quantify it," the official said, when asked if there is any quantitative assessment on energy saving through this measure.

The NCRTC has been tasked to oversee the construction of India's first RRTS, between Delhi and Meerut.

The entire 82.15 km Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS is targeted to be operational by June 2025.

The priority section, between Sahibabad and Duhai Depot, has five stations -- Sahibabad, Ghaziabad, Guldhar, Duhai and Duhai Depot. The segment from Duhai to Duhai Depot is a spur from the main corridor.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)