One Year Of Rapid Rail: Indo-German Partnership, 40 Lakh Passengers, And Shaping The Future Of Transportation For Indian Cities

Indian cities and their urbanisation trends are changing. A major influence on this transition is the introduction of rapid rail transit systems, which aims to connect distant towns with faster and more convenient travel options.

This development is set to influence the future of urban mobility and the growth patterns of emerging urban centres.

On 21 October 2023, the first service of the Delhi-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS), Namo Bharat, was launched — linking Delhi, Ghaziabad, and Meerut.

This week, the corridor completed one year of its operations, during which it continuously expanded to connect more and more areas of Delhi and Meerut.

According to recent data, over 4 million passengers have used the service in its first year. The operation of this train has changed the traffic in the capital Delhi, Ghaziabad, Sahibabad and surrounding areas to a great extent.

While traditional railways have long been important for mass transportation across India, the arrival of rapid rail systems has set the stage to meet the growing need for faster, longer-distance travelling between economic hubs and surrounding towns.  

The Namo Bharat services currently operate along a 42-kilometre stretch covering nine stations.

The initial 17-km priority section connected Sahibabad to Duhai Depot — with stops at Ghaziabad, Guldhar, and Duhai.

In March 2024, the service expanded by an additional 17 kilometres — extending to Modinagar —adding stations at Murad Nagar, Modinagar South, and Modinagar North.

By August, the service reached Meerut with an 8-km extension to Meerut South station, marking the halfway point of the 82-km corridor.

Soon, the corridor will expand to 54 kilometres with the addition of the Sahibabad to New Ashok Nagar section — including key stations in Delhi like Anand Vihar and New Ashok Nagar.

Once the full corridor is completed by June 2025, passengers will be able to travel from Delhi to Meerut in under an hour, reducing travel time by about 70 per cent.

German Collaboration

The corridor is operated by Deutsche Bahn (DB) — Germany's national railway company, through its Indian subsidiary.

This partnership has opened doors for bringing global expertise, advanced technology, and best practices to the country.

This is the first time Deutsche Bahn has taken on such a project outside Europe.

Through this partnership, German railway expertise and climate protection strategies are being shared with India, while the knowledge transfer on operations also benefits Germany’s rail system.

The experience gained from the RRTS will be shared within DB and used to modernise and digitalise rail hubs in major German cities.

Just as the Delhi Metro transformed the city’s transit system just in time to support connectivity within the expanding National Capital Region (NCR), connecting neighbouring towns to Delhi became the next crucial step.

Many towns in neighbouring states like Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana have a large number of people commuting daily to the NCR for jobs, business, or personal needs.

These towns, heavily dependent on Delhi as its economic hub, have relied on roadways, passenger trains, and other transport methods.

Therefore, it was essential to explore new connectivity solutions, such as the dedicated high-speed corridor, which has created economic opportunities for these towns. For many emerging areas, improved connectivity will be vital for growth.

In the first phase, covering Meerut, Panipat, and Alwar, the RRTS will span over 8,000 square kilometres, and with the second phase, the total coverage will exceed 25,000 square kilometres.

Most metropolitan cities remain victims of congestion due to concentrated urbanisation — where all resources, housing, commerce, and industries are located within the limitations of the main city boundaries.

As a result, people from nearby towns and villages migrate to these cities for convenience.

As smaller towns continue to grow, better connectivity with their neighbouring economic hubs like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad, opens up opportunities for balanced regional development — essential thought for the larger urban development goals for the country.