Delhi Metro records 99.95% train punctuality in 2026: DMRC

Delhi Metro trains recorded a punctuality rate of 99.95 per cent in 2026, with the network maintaining high operational reliability despite its expansion over the years, according to DMRC.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) said daily ridership has risen substantially from around 82,000 passenger journeys in its first year of operation to an average of 64.06 lakh journeys currently.

The network recorded its highest single-day ridership of more than 81 lakh passenger journeys on August 8, 2025.

The DMRC said its benchmark for punctuality is stringent, with a train considered delayed if it reaches its destination more than 59 seconds behind schedule.

Train punctuality improved from 98.27 per cent in 2003 to 99.64 per cent in 2005 and has remained around the 99.9 per cent mark in subsequent years, according to the DMRC.

The average distance travelled by metro trains before a service-affecting failure, measured through Mean Distance Between Failures (MDBF), stood at 2.72 million car-kilometres, it said.

International benchmarking by the Community of Metros (COMET), a consortium of 45 metro systems, has placed the Delhi Metro among the top five systems globally on reliability based on a two-minute delay criterion, the corporation said.

The DMRC also said train headway on some of the busiest corridors has reduced from seven minutes during the initial years of operation to 2 minutes and 18 seconds.

Around 29 per cent of the Delhi Metro network is currently operated under Unattended Train Operation (UTO), it said.

The Pink Line, or Line 7, spans 71.55 km with 45 stations and is operated using driverless technology. The corridor provides interchanges with most other Delhi Metro lines and offers alternate routes across the network.

The Delhi Metro began operations on December 25, 2002, with an 8.4-km stretch between Shahdara and Tis Hazari comprising six stations.

The network has since expanded to 416.5 km with 303 stations across 12 lines and 31 interchange stations connecting Delhi and the National Capital Region.