RRTS ridership up by 98% in one year: NCRTC

New Delhi: The Delhi–Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System has recorded a 98

New Delhi: The Delhi–Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System has recorded a 98.8% rise in average daily ridership in one year, according to information shared by the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC).

The RRTS operations began on October 21, 2023. (HT Archive)

According to the official ridership data, the average daily ridership has risen from 47,745 in July 2025 to 94,936 in July 2026. The upward trajectory continued into September, with the corridor taking average daily passenger volumes above the 100,000 mark to 108,044, NCRTC officials said. The corridor has crossed 45 million cumulative passenger journeys, they said.

The RRTS operations began on October 21, 2023, on a 17-km priority section between Sahibabad and Duhai depot. “The corridor has expanded through phased openings since October 2023, gradually extending its operational reach across the NCR,” an official said.

The opening of the priority section was followed by the opening of the Duhai-Modinagar North section in March 2024 and the extension to Meerut South in August 2024. In January 2025, the corridor was extended into Delhi, with the opening of the Sahibabad-New Ashok Nagar section. The remaining sections, connecting New Ashok Nagar, Sarai Kale Khan and Meerut South, and Modipuram, were subsequently opened in February 2026, marking the complete start of the 82km Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut corridor.

“Sarai Kale Khan, New Ashok Nagar and Anand Vihar in Delhi, along with Ghaziabad and Begumpul, account for more than 40% of the corridor’s total ridership. These stations connect Namo Bharat with Metro, Indian Railways, ISBT services and city buses, strengthening its role within the wider NCR public transport ecosystem,” the official cited above said.

NCRTC officials said that the multimodal integration at stations improved last-mile connectivity and parking facilities have made it easier for commuters to access and use the system as part of their daily journey. Parking facilities for more than 8,000 vehicles have been provided at Namo Bharat stations, officials said.

“NCRTC has also introduced a live parking status feature on the Namo Bharat Connect app, allowing commuters to check the current occupancy of parking spaces and plan their travel accordingly. Such facilities provide greater flexibility to commuters,” the official said.