NAMO Bharat: India’s First Regional Rapid Transit System

What Is NAMO Bharat, and Where Does Its First Corridor Run?

• NAMO Bharat: the brand name for India’s first Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS), a semi-high-speed regional rail network, distinct from a city metro.
• Its first corridor: connects Delhi, Ghaziabad, and Meerut, running between Sarai Kale Khan in Delhi and Modipuram in Meerut. It spans 82.15 km, with 25 stations.
• Look and feel: trains use a distinctive white, orange, and blue livery, setting them visually apart from typical city metro trains.

Who Implements NAMO Bharat, and How Is It Owned?

• The implementing agency: NCRTC (National Capital Region Transport Corporation), incorporated on 21 August 2013. It’s a joint Centre-state company.
• Ownership split: the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs and the Ministry of Railways each hold 22.5%. Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh each hold 12.5%.
• How much is actually built: the Delhi-Meerut corridor is the only completed project, among eight corridors originally identified by the NCR Planning Board to radiate outward from Delhi. Progress on the other seven has moved far more slowly.
• Track gauge: the corridor uses standard gauge, differing from the broad gauge used across most of Indian Railways, chosen for compatibility with future high-speed corridors, the same reason the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project also uses it.

How Does NAMO Bharat Avoid Building a Separate Metro for Meerut?

• Shared tracks: the network also carries the local Meerut Metro section, running on the same RRTS tracks within Meerut city. This avoided the cost of building a wholly separate metro system for Meerut alone.
• Officials’ view: they’ve cited this shared-infrastructure model as a possible template for other tier-2 Indian city rail links going forward.

How Is NAMO Bharat Different From the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme?

NAMO Bharat is a new tier of railway investment, distinct from station-level upgrades. Compare it with the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, which modernises existing Indian Railways stations rather than building new dedicated corridors. The RRTS naming convention deliberately avoids calling these lines “metros,” signalling inter-city regional travel, not just travel within a single city.

What’s the Latest Ridership and Expansion News?

• Ridership so far: the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut corridor has carried over 3.8 crore commuters since going fully operational in February 2026, with punctuality above 99%, per a 6 August 2026 written Lok Sabha reply.
• Growing connections: the corridor now connects with 3 metro lines, 2 railway stations, and 4 bus terminals. NCRTC has also installed 7.8 MWp of rooftop solar capacity across the corridor, plus a 35% base-fare discount and a loyalty-points programme.
• Four corridors in the pipeline: on 27 July 2026, the government told the Rajya Sabha that Detailed Project Reports are ready for Delhi-Karnal, Delhi-Bawal, Bawal-Behror, and Ghaziabad-Noida International Airport. All four are still under technical and financial appraisal.
• Two more cleared: the Public Investment Board has cleared Sarai Kale Khan-Bawal and Sarai Kale Khan-Karnal, together worth a combined Rs 65,000 crore, now before the Union Cabinet.