Delhi-Meerut Namo Bharat Sets Record Ridership of Over 1.6 Lakh Ahead of Raksha Bandhan

The Delhi–Ghaziabad-Meerut Namo Bharat corridor recorded its highest-ever daily ridership of over 1.6 lakh passengers on Thursday, on the eve of Raksha Bandhan. Key transit hubs across the route, including Anand Vihar and Sarai Kale Khan in Delhi, experienced significant commuter movement as residents travelled across the National Capital Region for the festive occasion.

Officials stated that ridership is expected to climb further on Friday as lakhs of people continue to take the rapid transit trains during the festival. The Thursday figure surpassed the previous single-day record of 1,49,922 commuters, which was logged on August 3. Before that, the corridor had recorded a peak of around 1,25,500 commuters on June 8.

In anticipation of the festive surge, the National Capital Region Transport Corporation operated 47 additional Namo Bharat train trips on the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor on August 27 and 28. These supplemental trips reduced headway, making train services available every eight minutes across both days to prevent overcrowding.

According to transport officials, Anand Vihar, Ghaziabad, and Begumpul have emerged as the busiest stations along the corridor. The full 82-km Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor was inaugurated on February 22 and has since maintained an average daily ridership of more than 1 lakh passengers. Prior to the full corridor's launch, a 55-km section covering 11 stations was operational, serving an average of 55,000 to 60,000 daily commuters.

Namo Bharat trains have a design speed of 180 kmph and run at a maximum operational speed of 160 kmph. The journey from Sarai Kale Khan in Delhi to Modipuram in Meerut takes 58 minutes, while the trip to Begumpul takes 54 minutes. The maximum standard fare for the full route between Sarai Kale Khan and Modipuram is Rs 210, with an extra 20 percent charge for commuters using the premium coach.