New Delhi [India], July 2 (ANI): In a first-of-its-kind move, National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) on Friday signed an agreement with DB India for the comprehensive operation and maintenance of the 82 km long Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) corridor for a period of 12 years.

According to NCRTC, the rail-based transit systems in India are run by public entities, at times by outsourcing certain activities to private contractors. There has been limited participation by the private sector in this sector and till now, the scope has generally been limited to the provision of facility management and ancillary services.

Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs issued the Metro Rail Policy in 2017 which, inter alia, advocates the need for private sector participation in regional rail and metro rail projects.

By adopting the long-term private participation model entailing comprehensive outsourcing of operation and maintenance activities, NCRTC has initiated steps to fulfil this objective of the Metro Rail Policy-2017 and the key initiatives being pursued by MoHUA.

Deutsche Bahn Engineering and Consultancy India Pvt Ltd (DB India) is a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn AG, National Railway Company of Germany.

Speaking on the occasion, Vinay Kumar Singh, MD, NCRTC said that "RRTS is a capital-intensive project, where long-term sustainability is paramount without compromising the safety and comfort of commuters. I am certain that, using the expertise and experience of our operation and maintainance partner combined with advanced technology adopted by NCRTC will bring in the predictability of long-term costs, managerial efficiencies and entrepreneurial spirit of the private sector in providing quality services to the commuters.""I truly believe that this pioneering initiative by NCRTC will lead to a paradigm shift in the entire sector and will make the sector cost effective and competitive, thereby realizing the dream of a New India of our Prime Minister," he added.

To arrive at the most optimum contracting model, NCRTC undertook extensive discussions with stakeholders to identify the most efficient and effective mechanism for handling the operation and maintenance of RRTS such that there is optimum utilisation of assets, reduced interfacing risks and taking a comprehensive long-term view of the entire spectrum of operation and maintenance aspects. The ultimate objective is to create a superior passenger experience with seamless integration with the passenger area. An optimum risk matrix approach has been adopted and risks allocated to the party best suited to handle.

NCRTC has also adopted the first-of-its-kind model for integrated procurement cum long-term (15 years) comprehensive maintenance of rolling stock through private participation to capture lifecycle costing. This procurement model was adopted to tap the use of the most suitable technologies and durable components on the one hand and latest state of the art technologies and practices on the other at optimum costs.

The comprehensive operation and maintenance contract and the aforesaid procurement cum long-term maintenance contract are now being proposed to be adopted by Indian Railways and other metro companies.

The implementation of RRTS is part of the "Comprehensive Action Plan (CAP) for Air Pollution Control in Delhi and NCR" and the recommendation of the "High Powered Committee on Decongesting Traffic in Delhi". (ANI)