The Delhi–Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System, also known as Delhi–Meerut RRTS and colloquially Rapid Rail, is an -long semi high-speed rail regional transit corridor that connects the cities of Delhi, Ghaziabad and Meerut in the National Capital Region. It is the first of the four rapid rail corridors envisioned under the first phase of the Namo Bharat project managed by the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC). Designed to allow a maximum speed of , it uses the Namo Bharat (trainset) designed by the French rolling stock manufacturer Alstom at its engineering centre in Hyderabad, Telangana, and was manufactured in Savli, Gujarat. The train has an aerodynamic design which reduces the drag when it travels and is operated at a speed of 160 km/h (99 mph); the distance between Delhi and Meerut is traversed in less than 60 minutes. The project was developed at a cost of . Originating from Jangpura, the corridor will run through Sarai Kale Khan, which will serve as the terminal for the three planned corridors in Delhi, before concluding at Modipuram in Meerut. It comprises 16 stations and two depots at Duhai and Modipuram.
Construction of the Delhi–Meerut RRTS began in June 2019. Though initially planned for full commissioning by 2024, the system was beset with a series of delays and was only partially operational from October 2023 to February 2026.
Its rollout has taken place in multiple stages, starting with a 17 km priority corridor between Sahibabad and Duhai Depot that itself opened months behind schedule. Subsequent extensions to Modinagar North (6 March 2024), Meerut South (18 August 2024), and New Ashok Nagar (5 January 2025), originally planned for earlier dates in 2024 and 2025, were also delayed, missing their respective deadlines by several months. As a result, the full 82.15 km corridor from Sarai Kale Khan in Delhi to Modipuram in Meerut missed three successive deadlines for complete operationalisation.
Although all civil work, testing, and trial runs have been completed by October 2025, the remaining stretches remained unopened until February 2026. Officials had earlier stated that full operations would commence only after a formal inauguration by the Prime Minister of India.
DB RRTS Operations India, a subsidiary of Germany's Deutsche Bahn, is the corridor's operator. Upon inauguration, the RRTS became the first regional transit system of India, and has also been designated the fastest rapid transit train in the nation with an operational speed of .
Background
Owing to burgeoning population, traffic, congestion, pollution, and risk of accidents and mishaps in the National Capital Region, the Planning Commission constituted a task force in 2005 under the chairmanship of the secretary of the Ministry of Urban Development to develop a multi-modal regional transit system for the NCR. This was included in the Integrated Transport Plan for NCR 2032, with special emphasis on a Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) connecting regional centres. In 2013, the Government of India and the Government of Delhi decided to create a comprehensive plan for developing a regional railway that would connect Delhi directly with the adjoining cities and regions of the NCR and beyond. Consequently, the National Capital Region Transport Corporation was established in July 2013 as a joint venture between the Government of India and the governments of the states of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. The objective of this organisation is to reduce the reliance of commuters on road-based transportation and enhance regional connectivity within the NCR and beyond, and construct, own and operate the Regional Rapid Transit Systems (RRTS). Within Delhi, the RRTS systems will largely run underground, connect to the Delhi Metro and provide commuters with a faster alternative option as a last-mile connectivity avenue to reach their respective destinations. These systems will be similar to other regional transit systems in the world, like London's Crossrail, Paris' RER, and Munich's S-Bahn. Eight corridors traversing the NCR of at least were initially planned to be implemented, which subsequently swelled to nine. Of the nine, four corridors are slated for implementation in the coming years, namely the Delhi–Meerut, Delhi–Alwar, Delhi–Panipat and Ghaziabad–Jewar corridors. The Delhi–Meerut corridor was chosen to be developed first on account of high frequency of travellers and traffic between Delhi and Meerut: the Government of India, the respective state governments, and the NCRTC commissioned feasibility studies and subsequently approved the corridor's construction.
History
The feasibility study and the detailed project report prepared by the National Capital Region Transport Corporation were approved by the Government of Uttar Pradesh in May 2017. In February 2019, the Government of India approved the project's implementation, and also approved the funding of . On 8 March 2019, the foundation stone for the corridor and the Meerut Metro project were laid: construction for both the projects commenced in June 2019. The metro has been tacked along the RRTS route in Meerut to provide local connectivity, covering . The NCRTC planned for the -long priority section between Sahibabad and Duhai Depot to begin regular operations by March 2023. However, due to pending work at certain stations, especially in Ghaziabad, the project faced delays. As a result, it was inaugurated and opened on 20 October 2023. In July 2022, the NCRTC selected Deutsche Bahn, the national railway company of Germany, to operate and maintain the corridor for twelve years with a further five years' option, as part of the contract. Hence, after the inauguration of the corridor, the company formed a subsidiary named DB RRTS Operations India. The NCRTC christened the provider of the services and trains RapidX and Namo Bharat respectively.
In December 2023, after conducting trials runs on another -long section between Duhai Depot and Meerut South, the NCRTC announced that the section would likely be opened by March 2024, thereby taking the operational length to about . The section was later extended to Modinagar North on 6 March 2024, to Meerut South on 18 August 2024, and to New Ashok Nagar on 5 January 2025, gradually increasing the operational length to around , , and finally . The construction of the final -long section from Sarai Kale Khan to New Ashok Nagar, which traverses the Yamuna river, concluded by June 2025.
In November 2021, the NCRTC decided to build a station in Jangpura, Delhi, to serve as the terminating station of the corridor. Per the original plan, it was envisioned to establish a stabling yard and operations control centre at Sarai Kale Khan, thence managing the three corridors originating there. However, the Jangpura station was floated to provide connectivity to the RRTS for residents of Jangpura and nearby areas, more so owing to the congestion along Mathura Road. With this addition, the total number of stations on the corridor increased to 16. The station will be at grade and is expected to be completed and opened after the rest of the corridor. The rest of the corridor till Modipuram is expected be operational by July 2025.
Following the Galwan Valley skirmish on 15 June 2020, there were calls by the Swadeshi Jagaran Manch for the government to cancel the bid of a Chinese firm involved in constructing and manufacturing the trains of the RRTS. Although the Chinese company did not abstain from constructing a tunnel segment of the RRTS, it was determined that the trains would be constructed by another firm. On this account, a fresh bid was conducted by the NCRTC: Bombardier Transportation, a Canadian-German rolling stock manufacturer, won the bid to make the trains for the RRTS and the Meerut Metro. The company will supply 210 coaches consisting of 30 trainsets with six coaches each, which could be extended to eight coaches based on demand. The trains are being manufactured at the company's plant in Savli, Gujarat.
Route Of the entire length, is elevated, is underground and the remaining segment is at-grade for connections to two depots, located at Duhai and Modipuram. In the densely populated suburbs of Delhi and Meerut, the route runs underground. The entire route is designed for a maximum speed of , with an operating speed of . The average speed is approximately .
Although the corridor is planned to originate at Jangpura, it currently begins at Sarai Kale Khan station, as the Jangpura station remains under construction. Sarai Kale Khan serves as the terminal station for all the planned corridors in the area. The corridor passes through various suburbs of Delhi and Ghaziabad before terminating at Modipuram in Meerut. The Sarai Kale Khan station is the largest of all the stations, featuring three levels, six platforms, and six tracks to serve the three corridors to Meerut, Panipat and Alwar. Due to its terminal status and location, it serves as a multi-modal transport hub by facilitating direct connectivity with the adjoining transport systems and facilities in its vicinity, like the Sarai Kale Khan-Nizamuddin metro station of the Delhi Metro, the Sarai Kale Khan Inter-State Bus Terminus, and the Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station.
The Anand Vihar station of the corridor hosts a similar strategic value owing to its adjacency to the Anand Vihar Terminal railway station, whereas the Ghaziabad station serves as another hub for interconnectivity with three more proposed corridors: Ghaziabad–Jewar, Ghaziabad–Bulandshahr–Khurja and Ghaziabad–Hapur.
Since January 2025, only a limited stretch of the corridor (-long) spanning from New Ashok Nagar in Delhi to Meerut South section was operational. The section spanning from Sarai Kale Khan to New Ashok Nagar was plagued by successive delays, and only became operational in February 2026; with this, the whole corridor became functional.
Construction The National Capital Region Transport Corporation divided the civil construction work of the RRTS project into eight packages and 30 packages for all stations, ramps, tunnel sections and technical facilities, consisting of 16 stations and two depots. Of the eight packages, two packages in the Meerut section are also part of the Meerut Metro project. The list of all packages, their contractors, and statuses is as follows:
+PhasesDescriptionOpeningStatus1Sahibabad to Duhai DepotOctober 20232Duhai Depot to Meerut SouthMarch–August 20243Sarai Kale Khan to SahibabadJanuary 20254Meerut South to Modipuram DepotJune 2025
Note: Package-1 and Package-2 are part of the priority section of the RRTS, and Package-7 and Package-8 are part of the Meerut Metro.