8 Fast Namo Bharat Trains to Launch on November 16; Reach Ghaziabad in 8 Minutes

Starting November 16, the NCRTC will introduce 8 fast Namo Bharat trains on the Delhi-Meerut corridor. These trains will stop at five major stations, with the journey from Anand Vihar to Ghaziabad taking just 8 minutes. Regular train services will continue to operate at 10-minute intervals.

This comes as welcome news for daily commuters traveling between Delhi-NCR and Meerut, for whom traffic and long travel times—especially during morning and evening commutes to work or college—have long been a significant challenge.

To address this, the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) is set to launch eight additional fast Namo Bharat train services on the Delhi-Meerut corridor, effective November 16, 2024. The introduction of these trains will significantly reduce travel time between key stations.

Travel Times

With the launch of the fast Namo Bharat services, travel times between various stations will be as follows:

Anand Vihar to Ghaziabad: 8 minutes
Ghaziabad to Begumpul: 28 minutes
Anand Vihar to Begumpul: 36 minutes
Full Delhi-Meerut corridor journey: Less than 50 minutes

This service is expected to be particularly beneficial for those who travel daily between Delhi, Ghaziabad, and Meerut for work, education, or other essential purposes.

Stops at Only 5 Major Stations

According to the NCRTC, these new trains will operate with limited stops. Instead of stopping at every station along the corridor, they will serve only five major stations: Sarai Kale Khan, Anand Vihar, Ghaziabad, Begumpul, and Modipuram. Fewer stoppages mean the train will not have to stop as frequently, helping passengers reach their destinations more quickly.

1.1 lakh passengers traveling daily

The number of passengers on the Delhi-Meerut Namo Bharat corridor is steadily increasing. Currently, approximately 1.1 lakh passengers travel on this route every day. The corridor has also recently surpassed the milestone of five crore passenger journeys. Over the last three months, an average of more than 32 lakh journeys have been recorded each month.

Helping to reduce pollution and traffic

This initiative by the NCRTC aims to save passengers' time while also promoting the use of public transport. Amidst rising pollution levels and heavy vehicular traffic on the roads in the Delhi-NCR region, a high-speed transport service like Namo Bharat can encourage people to opt for public transport instead of private vehicles.

Passengers are advised to check the display boards at the stations and listen to the announcements made on the platforms before boarding, so they can distinguish between 'fast' and 'regular' trains.

Additional trains at 8:00 AM and 6:00 PM

The new 'fast' trains will operate during the morning and evening peak hours. In the morning, trains will depart from both Sarai Kale Khan and Modipuram at 8:00 AM and 8:30 AM. Similarly, in the evening, additional services will be available from both terminal stations at 6:00 PM and 6:30 PM.

Importantly, the introduction of these eight new services will not affect the operation of the regular Namo Bharat trains. Existing trains will continue to run at 10-minute intervals, just as they do currently.