Delhi Suburban Railway is a suburban rail service operated by Northern Railway for the National Capital Region (NCR). Railway ministry's 2018 plan envisages renovation and integration of Delhi Suburban Railway with Delhi Metro, NCR RRTS, and ISBT Bus network through creation of interchanges by building footbridges and tunnels.
History On 2 January 1955, Delhi's first local train ran from New Delhi to Sarojini Nagar (then known as Vinay Nagar). The network was gradually expanded over time and, as of 2026, connects 7 cities across the National Capital Region (NCR) — from Sonipat, Bhiwani, Rewari and Palwal in Haryana to Meerut, Ghaziabad, and Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh — with Delhi.
In 2009, Ladies Special trains were introduced between New Delhi–Palwal, New Delhi–Ghaziabad, and New Delhi–Panipat.
Services
Tracks Delhi Suburban Railway services uses the same tracks that are also used for long-distance trains.
Rolling stock Delhi Suburban Railway services are mostly run using EMU and MEMU rakes. EMUs in Delhi run with 12 coaches, of which ten are general compartments and two are ladies' compartment. The service covers all 46 railway stations within Delhi, along with many more in the NCR.
Network
The Delhi Suburban network runs more than 110 suburban trains daily on the following network:
Ring services Delhi Ring Railway within inner Delhi: 35 km loop along Delhi's Inner Ring Road runs services in both clockwise and anti-clockwise directions during peak hours. Haryana Orbital Rail Corridor (HORC), 122 km long semi-circle within Haryana, available once construction is complete. Eastern Orbital Rail Corridor (EORC), 90 km long semi-circle within Uttar Pradesh will connect to Haryana's HORC thus completing rig around Delhi, available once construction is complete. Spokes services in NCR: radials routes connecting the national capital with its surrounding satellite towns. Haryana state: New Delhi-Sonipat-Panipat to the north. New Delhi-Bahadurgarh-Rohtak to the west. Demands to extend it to Hisar, the nearest Counter Magnet City in NCR, via direct Rohtak-Hansi-Hisar line, have been ignored so far. New Delhi-Gurgaon-Rewari-Bhiwani-Bawani Khera-Hansi-Hisar to the southwest and west. New Delhi-Faridabad-Palwal-Hodal-Mathura to the south. Uttar Pradesh state: New Delhi-Baghpat-Baraut-Shamli-Saharanpur to the north. New Delhi-Ghaziabad to the east. New Delhi-Bulandshahr-Khurja-Aligarh to the southeast. New Delhi-Kosi Kalan-Mathura to the south, via Haryana (Faridabad, Palwal, Hodal).
Timings and fares
Fares are very affordable, and much lower compared to a comparable journey on the Delhi Metro. Timetables are subject to change, and the service can be affected by the movement of long-distance trains. Generally, the local trains run throughout the day at varying frequencies.The Commuter Rail System For Delhi, metrorailnews.in, 1 March 2023.
Issues
Despite its potential, the network's underutilisation is attributed to a number of factors, including a lack of dedicated tracks, security issues at stations (snatching and theft), and poor last-mile connectivity. Since Delhi Metro is growing at a rapid pace, thus far there has been very little focus to improve the Delhi Suburban Railway though feasibility studies have been done for strengthening the Delhi Suburban Railway services and to create the integrated rail-metro-bus transit (IRMBT) system to connect Delhi with the satellite towns of NCR. 2025 research reports poor (45% satisfaction) customer satisfaction rating by the commuters for the Delhi Suburban Railway.Rahul Raoniar, Mohan Rao, and Velmurugan Senathipathi, December 2015, Performance Analysis of Sub Urban Rail System in Delhi -A Case Study, 3rd CTRG, Central Road Research Institute of India. The 2004 feasibility study recommended the dedicated dual track for the Delhi Suburban Railway. However, no action has been taken as of 2025. With poor service and no dedicated rack, Delhi Suburban Railway - the lifeline for poor working class commuters, has only 0.50% share in the overall public transport ridership in 2025 in Delhi, remaining 99.50% commuters are forced to use other more expensive modes of transport.Why is Delhi's Local train system so bad?, 2025 video newsreport by The Hindu, watch from 10.25 (see external links).
Gallery
See also
Transport in Delhi Urban rail transit in India List of railway stations in Delhi Delhi Ring Railway
References
External links Delhi ring railway timetable. Why is Delhi's Local train system so bad?, 2025 analysis by The Hindu newspaper. 2004 unrealised plan for dedicated tracks for running EMU.