NCRTC to introduce fast Namo Bharat trains from Nov 16, Anand Vihar-Ghaziabad in 8 minutes

The National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) will introduce eight additional fast Namo Bharat train services during morning and evening peak hours from November 16, reducing travel time between Anand Vihar and Ghaziabad to just eight minutes, officials said.

The limited-stop trains will operate on the Delhi-Meerut corridor, covering Anand Vihar to Begumpul in 36 minutes and Ghaziabad to Begumpul in 28 minutes. The entire corridor will be covered in less than 50 minutes, NCRTC said.

The fast services will stop at only five stations — Sarai Kale Khan, Anand Vihar, Ghaziabad, Begumpul and Modipuram — to reduce travel time for commuters, particularly office-goers and students travelling during rush hours, it said.

During morning peak hours, two trains in each direction will depart from Sarai Kale Khan and Modipuram at 8 am and 8.30 am. In the evening, the additional services will depart from both terminal stations at 6 pm and 6.30 pm.

The eight additional trains will operate alongside regular Namo Bharat services, which will continue to run at an interval of 10 minutes, ensuring that the existing service frequency remains unchanged.

The corridor currently records around 1.1 lakh daily commuters and has crossed the milestone of five crore passenger journeys. Over the past three months, the system registered an average monthly ridership of more than 32 lakh, NCRTC said.

The enhanced services are also aimed at encouraging commuters to shift to public transport amid rising air pollution and reducing road congestion across the region, it stated.

Passengers have been advised to check station display boards and listen to platform announcements to distinguish between fast and regular train services before boarding, it added.