Shweta Sharma, who lives in Partapur in Meerut, said her son leaves home at 8.30 am, takes the Namo Bharat train to Sarai Kale Khan and then the Delhi Metro to Kalkaji Mandir, reaching JIMS Kalkaji in time for his 10 am lectures. He is usually back home by 6 pm.The Delhi-Meerut Namo Bharat corridor is making such daily journeys possible for more people. Average daily ridership nearly doubled in a year, rising from 47,745 in July 2025 to 94,936 in July 2026.The increase comes as the entire 82-km rapid rail corridor became fully operational in February, after phased openings that began in October 2023. The initial 17-km stretch between Sahibabad and Duhai Depot opened on October 21, 2023, followed by extensions to Modinagar North in March 2024 and Meerut South in August 2024.Average daily ridership jumped from 63,999 in February 2026 to 87,682 in March. It rose further to 92,364 in April and remained stable at 93,877 in May, before crossing the one-lakh mark in June, at 1.02 lakh.By August, average daily ridership climbed further to 1.13 lakh, with the corridor recording its highest single-day footfall of 1,68,510 on August 28.Better connectivityOfficials said the opening of the entire corridor, improved connectivity with the Delhi Metro, Indian Railways, inter-state bus terminals (ISBTs) and city bus services, along with better first- and last-mile connectivity, has helped drive ridership growth.Story continues below this adPassenger amenities, accessible station infrastructure and parking facilities have also made the service more convenient.For some commuters, the corridor has made travelling between Meerut and Delhi feasible for everyday activities that would otherwise require a long commute or a stay in the Capital.Neena Oberoi, who travels to Meerut, said she preferred the premium coach for its comfort and safety. “A premium coach facility in Namo Bharat is the best part, as it is especially quite safe for women,” Oberoi said.Accessibility has also widened the options for some passengers.Sanjay Yadav, 54, a wheelchair user from Meerut’s Pallavpuram Phase 1, said he had earlier relied on expensive cab services to travel to Delhi because public transport was difficult to use. Since taking his first Namo Bharat journey in March 2025, he has been able to make regular trips independently.Story continues below this ad“With facilities like lifts, ramps, and level boarding, I can now move around easily and travel independently,” he said.Key stations account for over 40% of ridershipKey stations, including Sarai Kale Khan, New Ashok Nagar, Anand Vihar, Ghaziabad and Begumpul, together account for more than 40% of total ridership.Sarai Kale Khan is one of Delhi’s major transport hubs, bringing together Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station, the Delhi Metro’s Pink Line, the Veer Haqiqat Rai Interstate Bus Terminal, city bus services and the Namo Bharat corridor.The Indian Express had reported in June that ridership at the Sarai Kale Khan Namo Bharat station had increased by around 30% since the commissioning of a foot overbridge connecting it with Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station.Story continues below this adThe increase highlights the importance of convenient transfers between transport systems. According to transport planners, a commuter may be willing to take a train to Delhi and then switch to Metro or Namo Bharat services, but only if the transfer is convenient, safe, and does not involve walking on broken footpaths, or dodging rickshaws.Does it meet ridership projections?Data for July 2026 shows that ridership declines by only 15-20% on Sundays compared with weekdays, indicating that the regional rapid transit system is being used for purposes beyond regular office commuting.“Passenger movement remains high across operational hours, with a slight increase during office hours, suggesting demand from people travelling for education, business, leisure and other purposes,” officials said.While the rising numbers point to growing use of the corridor, they do not establish how many passengers have shifted from private vehicles or whether road congestion has reduced.Story continues below this adThe ridership is also estimated to fall short of ridership projections made by the Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit Systems (DIMTS), which had projected that the corridor will witness an average daily ridership of 7.4 lakh by 2028. However, those figures were closely linked to the development of the wider RRTS network.The Delhi-Meerut corridor was only the first of several Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) lines planned to connect parts of the National Capital Region. The Delhi-Karnal corridor and a portion of the Delhi-Alwar corridor are still awaiting approval, and will take a minimum of five to six years to operationalise after receiving the nods.“Once the other lines come online, network effects come into play and ridership rises exponentially, similar to what happened with Delhi Metro. However, that has not happened yet,” an official said.