Namo Bharat crosses 3 cr passenger journeys
The Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Namo Bharat has crossed 3 crore passenger journeys within months of the commissioning of the entire corridor, marking a major milestone for new-age regional transit in the National Capital Region (NCR). Over the past two years, it has steadily built commuter trust, now clearly reflected in the steady rise in ridership, and more and more people are choosing it as a fast, safe, and comfortable way to travel.
On 22 February 2026, the Prime Minister dedicated the entire Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Namo Bharat corridor, along with the Meerut Metro, to the nation. Since then, ridership has been rising steadily. Apart from Sundays, which see around 85,000 passengers, daily footfall on weekdays ranges between 90,000 and 1,14,000.
Operations on the corridor first began on October 21, 2023, with the inauguration of the 17-km priority section between Sahibabad and Duhai Depot. In November 2023, after the first full month of operations, the section recorded a ridership of over 72,000. As services were extended to Modinagar North in March 2024 and further to Meerut South in August 2024, the operational section expanded to 42 km with nine stations. With each extension, ridership kept steadily rising. By December 2024, average monthly ridership numbers had reached about 7 lakhs, nearly ten times higher than in the same period a year earlier.
According to a press statement, a major boost came in January 2025, when an additional 13-km Delhi section from New Ashok Nagar to Sahibabad became operational. With the commissioning of this section, stations like Anand Vihar, developed as a key multi-modal hub, made access easier for a much larger set of commuters. This helped bring in passengers not just from nearby areas but from across Delhi and adjoining regions. On 16th May 2025, a major milestone was achieved when the ridership hit the record of 1 crore.
By July 2025, average monthly ridership had reached close to 15 lakhs, more than double compared to just six months earlier.
Around the same time, daily ridership stabilised at about 55,000-60,000. To handle the growing demand, train frequency was increased from every 15 minutes to 10 minutes, with the system designed to go up to every 3 minutes when required. In December 2025, Namo Bharat crossed the milestone of 2 crore commuter trips.
“On 22nd February, the remaining 26 km section of the corridor, along with Meerut Metro, was commissioned, marking the operations of the entire corridor, and the ridership picked up even faster. Within a month, Namo Bharat emerged as a preferred mode of regional travel, and in March 2026 alone, monthly ridership reached around 27 lakhs. What stands out is the pace of growth. Namo Bharat crossed the milestone of 3 crore commuter trips in less than five months of reaching 2 crore journeys,” it said.
