Over 5 mn travelled in Namo Bharat trains since launch in Oct 2023: NCRTC

More than five million commuters have travelled in the Namo Bharat trains since the start of operations on the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor in October 2023, a statement said on Wednesday.

According to the data, the highest number of commuters travelled in Namo Bharat trains from the Ghaziabad and Meerut South stations on the corridor.

The 17 km priority section (Sahibabad-Duhai Depot) of the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor was inaugurated on October 23 last year by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Subsequently, Namo Bharat train services were extended to an additional 17 km section from Duhai to Modi Nagar North on March 6. Thereafter, on August 18, an additional eight km stretch from Modi Nagar North to Meerut South RRTS station was connected to the operational section, it said.

Once Meerut was connected, the commuters' enthusiasm to travel on the Namo Bharat trains along the RRTS corridor surged, the statement said.

On 19 August, a record 34,000 commuters travelled in Namo Bharat trains during Raksha Bandhan. Recently, the total number of commuters using Namo Bharat trains has surpassed 50 lakh, the statement said.

The total length of the operational section from Sahibabad to Meerut South is 42 km, which includes nine RRTS stations. Commuters are completing the journey between Sahibabad and Meerut South in just 30 minutes, it said.

At present, the trial run of Namo Bharat trains from Sahibabad to Delhi at Anand Vihar and New Ashok Nagar stations is in its final stage. Anand Vihar is an underground station, which will be the first underground station to be operational on the RRTS corridor.

Soon, Namo Bharat trains will begin operating from Sahibabad to New Ashok Nagar, increasing the operational corridor length to 55 km.

NCRTC has also recently started a loyalty points programme for the convenience of commuters, offering a 10 per cent discount on fares. Under this programme, commuters can earn loyalty points by purchasing QR code-based tickets through the RRTS Connect app.