Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Namo Bharat sees record ridership crossing 3 crore trips

New Delhi: The Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Namo Bharat corridor has crossed three crore passenger journeys within months of full commissioning, underlining its rapid emergence as a preferred mode of regional travel in the National Capital Region (NCR).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the corridor on Feb 22, 2026, along with the Meerut Metro. Since then, ridership has seen a sharp and consistent rise. Officials said weekday daily footfall ranges between 90,000 and 1.14 lakh passengers, while Sundays record around 85,000 commuters.

Operations on the corridor began on Oct 21, 2023, with a 17-km priority stretch between Sahibabad and Duhai Depot. Initial ridership stood at over 72,000 in the first month. As the network expanded in phases, to Modinagar North in March 2024 and Meerut South in Aug 2024, ridership steadily climbed. By Dec 2024, monthly passenger numbers reached around seven lakh.

A major boost came in Jan 2025 with the commissioning of a 13-km Delhi section from New Ashok Nagar to Sahibabad, improving connectivity through key hubs like Anand Vihar. By May 2025, the system recorded one crore journeys, doubling to nearly 15 lakh monthly riders by July.

With the final 26-km stretch becoming operational in Feb 2026, ridership accelerated further. In March 2026, it reached nearly 27 lakh, and the system crossed the three-crore mark in under five months after reaching two crore trips.

Officials attribute this growth largely to significant travel time savings.

“Commuters can use the Namo Bharat Connect app for QR-based ticketing and real-time train tracking, reducing the need to queue at stations. Digital integration with the mobile applications of DMRC and IRCTC has enabled end-to-end journey planning between Delhi Metro, Namo Bharat and railways,” stated an official statement from NCRTC.