The Meerut Metro is an under-construction

rapid transit system Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT) or heavy rail, commonly referred to as metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport that is generally built in urban areas. A grade separated rapid transit line below ground surface through a t ...

, which will serve the city of

Meerut Meerut (, ISO 15919, ISO: ''Mēraṭh'') is a city in the western region of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Located in the Meerut district, it is northeast of the national capital, New Delhi, and is ...

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. It is being built in two phases, of which the first phase with the first line will cover with 13 stations, from Modipuram to Meerut South. It will have nine

elevated An elevated railway or elevated train (also known as an el train or el for short) is a railway with the Track (rail transport), tracks above street level on a viaduct or other elevated structure (usually constructed from steel, cast iron, concre ...

, three underground stations, one

at-grade At-grade may refer to: *At-grade intersection, a crossing between roads on the same level * Road junction *Level crossing, where a road or path crosses a railway on the same level * Diamond crossing, where two railway tracks cross * At-grade railway ...

station as the depot station at Modipuram, and four stations integrated with the

Delhi–Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System The Delhi–Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System, also known as Delhi–Meerut RRTS and colloquially Rapid Rail, is a partially operational -long Higher-speed rail, rapid Rail transport, rail that will connect the National Capital Region (NCR) ...

on a single corridor, making the metro the first such rapid transit system in India to be merged directly with a regional transit system. The second phase will include a second line covering from Shradhapuri Phase-II to Jagrati Vihar, with 12 stations, out of which seven will be elevated and five will be underground, thereby taking the overall length to . A possible third line as a third phase has also been put forward for feasibility studies, that will increase the total length by another to . The metro will also be the fastest metro of India, at an operational speed of . The

foundation stone A cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry Foundation (engineering), foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entir ...

for the project was laid by

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician who has served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India since 2014. Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Par ...

on 8 March 2019, along with the RRTS, and construction began on both the RRTS and the metro projects in June 2019. It is expected to be completed before the deadline of June 2025, the time also slated for the opening of the entire route of the RRTS. It is being built at an estimated cost of , and due to its merger with the RRTS, the metro and its trains will be owned and operated by

National Capital Region Transport Corporation The National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) is a joint venture company of the Government of India and the states of Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of D ...

(NCRTC).

History

Due to rising population, traffic, congestion and demand in

, and also because of its location in the National Capital Region (NCR), the plan for developing a metro for the city and integrating it with the transport systems of NCR was proposed by the Governments of India and

in the early 2010s. Therefore, the feasibility study of the metro project was completed by Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES) in June 2015 and submitted to the

Government of Uttar Pradesh The Government of Uttar Pradesh (International Organization for Standardization, ISO: ''Uttara Pradēśa Sarakāra''; often abbreviated as GoUP) is the subnational government of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh with the governor as its appoin ...

the next year, in June 2016. In 2017, the

Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation The Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation (UPMRC) is a 50:50 joint venture company between Government of India and Government of Uttar Pradesh that operates the Lucknow Metro, Kanpur Metro and Agra Metro. The Varanasi Metro, Prayagraj Metro, Gora ...

(UPMRC) was assigned to bring all stakeholders together and get the project started, then operate the metro after completion. The line was initially planned to have eleven stations, from Modipuram to Partapur, but was later extended to Meerut South to provide connectivity to the city's outskirts, thereby increasing the number of stations to 13 and the length to . The initiation of the project was marked after the

was laid by

on 8 March 2019, along with the

(RRTS), and construction of both the projects commenced in June of the same year. Both the projects, including the Meerut section of the RRTS, are scheduled to be completed and opened by or before the deadline of June 2025. The metro will be the first

rapid transit Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT) or heavy rail, commonly referred to as metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport that is generally built in urban areas. A grade separation, grade separated rapid transit line below ground su ...

system in

to be directly integrated and merged with a regional transit system on one single corridor, and also the fastest in India, with an operational speed of . During the clash in the

Galwan Valley The Galwan River flows from the disputed Aksai Chin area administered by China to the Union Territory of Ladakh, India. It originates near the caravan camping ground of Samzungling on the eastern side of the Karakoram range and flows west to jo ...

in 2020, the

Swadeshi Jagran Manch The Swadeshi Jagran Manch () is a political and cultural pan-India movement that deals with economic issues. Since at least 2015 the SJM has been critical of foreign direct investment. References

{{reflist Political organisations based in ...

urged the Government of India to withdraw the bid from a Chinese company associated with manufacturing the trains of the metro. In view of this, a re-bidding for making the trains was conducted by the owner of the metro and the RRTS projects, the

(NCRTC), and

Bombardier Transportation Bombardier Transportation was a Canadian rolling stock and rail transport manufacturer, with headquarters in Toronto and Berlin. It was one of the world's largest companies in the rail vehicle and equipment manufacturing and servicing industry. ...

, now acquired by

Alstom Alstom SA () is a French multinational rolling stock manufacturer which operates worldwide in rail transport markets. It is active in the fields of passenger transportation, signaling, and locomotives, producing high-speed, suburban, regional ...

, won the bid on 7 May 2020. The trains are currently being manufactured at Alstom's plant in

Savli Savli is a village near Vadodara, Gujarat in Western India. It is located near one of the Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation centres, which includes companies such as Nirma Chemical, Bombardier Transportation (now acquired by Alstom ...

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...

. It will supply 210 coaches for 30 trains, each consisting of 3 coaches. The first train of the metro was delivered by Alstom to the NCRTC on 16 February 2024. As of February 2024, both the projects are on track to be completed by June 2025. After roughly five years of construction, in January 2025, the first trial runs were conducted by the

(NCRTC) from Meerut South, the southern terminal of the metro with the RRTS, to Meerut Central, one of the stations to serve only the metro. The trials will continue until the metro becomes operational by or before its deadline of June 2025.

Construction

The

(NCRTC) has divided the civil construction work of the first phase of the metro project into 13 stations and one depot at Modipuram, which will be for both the

(RRTS) and the metro trains, and four packages, which are part of the packages of the RRTS as well. The list of the packages, contractors and their statuses is as follows:

Corridors

The metro is being developed in two phases, which will together cover a distance of , currently of which the first phase consisting of the first line to run along the RRTS is under construction. A possible third phase consisting of an east-west line has also been planned, that will increase the total length of the network by another to once finalised. The details of the lines are as follows:

Phase I

* Line 1: Meerut South to Modipuram, –

, underground and one

station as the depot station at Modipuram. The line will have 13 stations, of which nine will be elevated, three underground and one at-grade station at Modipuram depot. It will run parallelly along the RRTS on a single corridor.

Phase II

* Line 2: Shradhapuri Phase II to Jagrati Vihar, –elevated and underground . The line will have 12 stations, of which seven will be elevated and five underground. It is currently waiting for approval for a new

Detailed Project Report A project plan, is a series of structured tasks, objectives, and schedule to a complete a desired outcome, according to a project managers designs and purpose. According to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), is: "...a formal, appro ...

(DPR) tender to be floated.

Phase III

* Line 3: CCS University to Rajban Bazar via

GangaNagar Sri Ganganagar is the northernmost city of the Indian state of Rajasthan, near the international border of India and Pakistan. It is the administrative headquarters of Sri Ganganagar district. It is named after Maharaja Shri Ganga Singh Bahad ...

, –elevated and underground . The line will have 6 stations, of which five will be elevated and one underground. It is currently under planning stage.

Facilities

All stations of the metro will have similar facilities like the stations of the

(RRTS). They will have facilities like booking counters, ticket and food vending machines, on-board catering, check-in kiosks, baggage checking counters, CCTVs,

platform screen doors Platform screen doors (PSDs), also known as platform edge doors (PEDs), are used at some train, rapid transit and people mover stations to separate the platform from train tracks, as well as on some bus rapid transit, tram and light rail ...

(PSDs), washrooms, restaurants, retail stores, free WiFi, child care facilities, emergency and medical facilities, facilities for physically challenged passengers like wheelchairs, escalators, elevators and connecting facilities to RRTS stations and other transport modes like bus stations, railway stations, cabs, parking spaces, etc.

Features

All stations of the metro will have similar features like the stations of the

(RRTS). They will have several features to enhance passenger experience, as follows: * Multi-Modal Transport Integration: All stations will be integrated with various modes of transport like railway stations, inter-state bus terminals, cabs and parking spaces to seamlessly facilitate the movement of commuters between the modes through skywalks, elevated walkways and entry/exit points. The metro will be the first metro system in

to merge and operate parallelly along a regional transit system. * Safety: All stations will be fully monitored with surveillance from CCTVs and security staff. They will also have

(PSDs) on platforms for enhanced commuter safety. * Sustainability: All stations will use eco-friendly measures to generate electricity, dispose of waste, and conserve water without affecting the environment, like solar panels on the roofs, dustbins, water and sewage treatment systems, green spaces in the stations' premises and proper cleanliness in the entire premises, similar to the RRTS stations. The implementation of the metro will shift the

modal share A modal share (also called mode split, mode-share, or modal split) is the percentage of travelers using a particular type of transportation or number of trips using said type. In freight transportation, this may be measured in mass. Modal share ...

in favour of public transport higher in the region, which will then result in drastic reductions in traffic on roads, thereby ensuring sustainability.

Stations

The metro, together with two lines, will consist of 25 stations, of which the first line will have 13, and the second line will have 12 stations. Additionally, there will be interchange points with the

(RRTS) at Meerut South, Shatabdi Nagar, Begumpul, and Modipuram stations. The stations being built on the metro in its first phase are:

Rolling stock

The trains of the metro are being manufactured and delivered by

, a global French company in railway manufacturing, at its plant in

Vadodara district Vadodara district, also known as Baroda district, is situated in the eastern part of the state of Gujarat in western India. The administrative headquarters of the district is the city of Vadodara (Baroda). The district covers an area of 7,794&n ...

. In May 2020, the

, a former Canadian company in railway manufacturing, now acquired by Alstom since 2021, won a contract from the

(NCRTC) for indigenously making 30 coaches in a configuration of 10 trainsets of three cars each, with a capacity of 700 passengers. The first train was delivered to the NCRTC on 16 February 2024. Designed at Alstom’s

Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...

engineering centre and manufactured at Savli, these advanced, state-of-the-art trains are designed for a maximum speed of and operational speed of , making the trains the second-fastest

trains in India, just after the

Namo Bharat The Namo Bharat is an Indian electric multiple unit (EMU) train built for RapidX (Regional Rapid Transit services). The train was designed by the French rolling stock manufacturer Alstom at its engineering centre in Hyderabad, Telangana, and wa ...

trains of the

(RRTS), at . These trains are similar to the features present in the Namo Bharat trains, like aerodynamic structure and seats, which are a first for India, dedicated seats for physically challenged passengers, on-board wheelchairs, CCTVs, information display systems, fire alarms, window blinders and enhanced passage space. The rolling stock is based on Alstom’s Adessia commuter train family, incorporating worldwide experience.

Integration with Delhi–Meerut RRTS

In the metro's first phase, the first line will run in parallel along the RRTS tracks on both sides, and the four of its 13 stations will be integrated with the RRTS, at Modipuram, Begumpul, Shatabdi Nagar and Meerut South, so that commuters can seamlessly connect with the metro and the

trains of the RRTS, providing them the ease of travel within

and for connectivity to

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

Noida Noida (), short for New Okhla Industrial Development Authority (ISO: ), is a city located in Gautam Buddha Nagar district of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. As per provisional reports of Census of India, the population of Noida in 2011 was ...

Ghaziabad Ghaziabad () is a city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and a part of Delhi NCR. It is the administrative headquarters of Ghaziabad district and is the largest city in Western Uttar Pradesh, with a population of 1,729,000. Ghaziaba ...

and adjoining parts of the National Capital Region (NCR). This makes the metro the first metro in India to run along and directly integrate with a regional transit system.

Signalling and train control system

The

(NCRTC) has decided to equip the line with ETCS L3 signalling, one of the most advanced signalling systems used in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

, as the metro will run on the same corridor as the

(RRTS). Tenders for its procurement were invited on 17 April 2020, and

was awarded the contract worth approximately in January 2021.

Nokia Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational corporation, multinational telecommunications industry, telecommunications, technology company, information technology, and consumer electronics corporation, originally established as a pulp mill in 1 ...

partnered with Alstom to implement the 4.9G/LTE private wireless network to support the ETCS L2 signalling. This is the first time in the world that an

LTE network In telecommunications, long-term evolution (LTE) is a standard for wireless broadband communication for cellular mobile devices and data terminals. It is considered to be a "transitional" 4G technology, and is therefore also referred to as 3.9 ...

is being used along with ETCS L2 signalling.

Status updates

* Jul 2016: The

prepared by Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES) was submitted to the state government. * Jun 2017: The project had been put on hold in view of the higher-priority

(RRTS) project. * Jan 2018: The state cabinet decided to build metros in

Kanpur Kanpur (Hindustani language, Hindustani: ), originally named Kanhapur and formerly anglicized as Cawnpore, is the second largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Uttar Pradesh after Lucknow. It was the primary ...

, and

Agra Agra ( ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra is the ...

. * Sep 2018: The DPR was sent by the state government to the central government for approval. * Jan 2019: The Meerut Metro and Delhi–Meerut RRTS were decided to run on the same corridor. * Mar 2019:

laid the

for the RRTS and the metro projects. * Jun 2019: The initiation of the RRTS and metro projects was marked by the beginning of the pillar work by

Larsen & Toubro Larsen & Toubro Limited, abbreviated as L&T, is an Indian multinational conglomerate, with interests in industrial technology, heavy industry, engineering, construction, manufacturing, power, information technology, defence and financial se ...

. * May 2020: