On the first day after its launch, the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Namo Bharat Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) network on Monday recorded its highest ever ridership, crossing the 1 lakh mark.
This record number of passengers came just a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially inaugurated the remaining sections of Namo Bharat RRTS, a 5-km section between Sarai Kale Khan and New Ashok Nagar in Delhi and a 21-km section between Meerut and Modipuram in Uttar Pradesh, marking the completion of the RRTS project.
“On Monday, with the last train scheduled to depart at 10 pm, NRCTC expects total ridership to exceed 1 lakh passengers,” the National Capital Regional Transport Corporation (NCRTC) had earlier said.
Read also | RRTS meets Delhi Metro: Sarai Kale Khan is consolidated as the largest transport hub in the capital
The company also stated that this was the highest number of passengers recorded in the hall so far.
Chants of ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ and ‘Jai Hind’ allegedly echoed inside the buses as passengers boarded their first ride on the Meerut Express. The train car appears to be full in the video.
A video allegedly showed passengers excitedly clicking photos inside the Delhi-Meerut RRTS train and Meerut Metro during their journey. According to a report by news agency PTI, passengers were eagerly waiting to board the new service from Begumpul station in Meerut.
Passengers also reportedly stood in convenient queues at ticket counters and platform entrances, where station staff first assisted passengers and explained safety protocols to them.
HT was unable to independently verify the authenticity of these videos.
The Delhi-Meerut RRTS is designed to reach speeds of up to 180 km per hour, spans a corridor of 82.15 km, and the total cost of the network is $30,274 Crores. The estimated travel time on the RRTS, from Delhi to Meerut, is 55 minutes. The frequency of trains at all 16 stations is 15 minutes.
Meerut Metro also runs on the same infrastructure as Namo Bharat RRTS. It is touted as India’s fastest metro service with an operational speed of 120 kilometers per hour. For context, the regular lines of the Delhi Metro operate at an average speed of 45-75 kilometers per hour.
The Meerut Metro covers the entire distance in just 30 minutes, with all scheduled stops en route.
