Delhi Metro

The Delhi Metro is a rapid transit system that serves Delhi and nearby cities such as Faridabad, Gurugram, Ghaziabad, Noida, Bahadurgarh, and Ballabhgarh in the National Capital Region of India. It is the largest and busiest metro system in India, with 10 colour-coded lines and 271 stations.

Construction of the Delhi Metro began in 1998, and the first part of the system opened to the public in 2002. Over the years, it has grown, with the latest phase finishing in 2021.

The Delhi Metro is operated by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, a partnership between the Government of India and the government of Delhi. In 2011, it earned special recognition from the United Nations for helping reduce harmful gases in the air.

Each day, the Delhi Metro carries millions of passengers. It connects with other nearby transit systems, such as the Rapid Metro Gurgaon and Noida Metro. It also links to the Delhi-Meerut RRTS, one of India’s fastest regional transit services.

History

Background

The idea of a fast way to travel for people in New Delhi started in 1969. Different groups worked on plans for the best routes. In 1984, a group suggested building a system with three underground lines.

As the city grew, more people lived there and more cars filled the roads. Traffic and pollution became big problems. In 1995, the governments of India and Delhi created the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation to build the metro system. Elattuvalapil Sreedharan was the first leader of this group, followed by Mangu Singh in 2011.

Initial construction

Construction of the Delhi Metro started in 1998. The first line, the Red Line, opened in 2002. More lines opened over the next few years. By 2006, the first phase was finished, and it was done on time and within its budget.

Phase I

A network with 59 stations was built in Delhi. These stations opened to the public between 2002 and 2006.

Phase II

More lines and stations were added. By the end of this phase in 2011, the total network had many stations.

Phase III

New lines and extensions were added. Work started in 2011 and finished in 2021. Some parts of the Delhi Metro now run without drivers, starting with the Magenta Line in 2021.

Phase IV

Plans for more lines and extensions were approved in 2018 and 2019. Construction began in 2019 and is expected to finish in 2026.

Phase V

Lines

Red Line (Line 1)

Main article: Red Line (Delhi Metro)

The Red Line was the first metro line to open. It connects Rithala in the west to Shaheed Sthal (New Bus Adda) in the east. It is 34.55 kilometres long. Some parts are above ground and some are at ground level. It crosses the Yamuna River between Kashmere Gate and Shastri Park. The first part of the line opened on 24 December 2002. It connects to several other lines.

Yellow Line (Line 2)

Main article: Yellow Line (Delhi Metro)

The Yellow Line was the metro’s second line. It is 49 kilometres long and runs from Samaypur Badli to Millennium City Centre Gurugram in Gurugram. Some parts are above ground and some parts are underground. It opened in sections starting in 2004. The line connects to many other lines.

Blue Line (Lines 3 and 4)

Main article: Blue Line (Delhi Metro)

The Blue Line was the third line to open. It is 56.61 kilometres long and links Dwarka Sub City to Noida in the east. Some parts are above ground and some parts are underground. It opened in sections starting in 2005. The line crosses the Yamuna River and connects to several other lines.

Green Line (Line 5)

Main article: Green Line (Delhi Metro)

The Green Line opened in 2010. It runs between Inderlok and Brigadier Hoshiyar Singh, with a branch to Kirti Nagar on the Blue Line. It is 29.64 kilometres long and runs above ground. It connects to other lines.

Violet Line (Line 6)

Main article: Violet Line (Delhi Metro)

The Violet Line is 47 kilometres long. It connects Raja Nahar Singh in Ballabgarh to Kashmere Gate in New Delhi. It opened in sections starting in 2010. The line connects to several other lines.

Airport Express Line / Orange Line

Main article: Airport Express Line (Delhi Metro)

The Airport Express Line links New Delhi to Yashobhoomi Dwarka Sector - 25. It connects the New Delhi railway station and Indira Gandhi International Airport. It is 22.7 kilometres long and has six stations. It opened in 2011. The line connects to other lines.

Pink Line (Line 7)

Main article: Pink Line (Delhi Metro)

The Pink Line opened in 2018. It is Delhi Metro’s longest line at 73.49 kilometres. It runs in a ring shape around Delhi and has 46 stations. It connects many parts of the city and links to most other lines.

Magenta Line (Line 8)

Main article: Magenta Line (Delhi Metro)

The Magenta Line opened in sections starting in 2017. It currently has 33 stations and connects to Indira Gandhi International Airport. The line has interchanges with several other lines. Plans are for it to become the longest line in Delhi.

Grey Line (Line 9)

Main article: Grey Line (Delhi Metro)

The Grey Line is the shortest line, running 4.295 kilometres from Dwarka to Dhansa Bus Stand. It has four stations and opened in sections from 2019 to 2021. The line connects to the Blue Line at Dwarka.

Network

Main article: List of Delhi Metro stations

The Delhi Metro grows in steps called phases. Phase I had 59 stations and covered 64.75 km (40.23 mi) of tracks, with part of it underground. It finished in October 2006. Phase II added more stations and tracks and was done by August 2011. Phase III added even more lines and tracks and was mostly finished by April 2019, with a few parts opening later. Phase IV was planned in July 2015, and some parts started building in March 2019. The Metro keeps getting bigger, with more lines and stations being added over the years.

Expansion

When Phase IV of the Delhi Metro is done, the city will need Phase V to help more people travel. Here are some plans for Phase-V:

• Delhi Blue Line Metro: Yamuna Bank to Loni: The Blue Line will be made longer by 12 km from Yamuna Bank metro station to Loni on the Delhi-Ghaziabad border.
• Central Vista Loop Line: This underground line will connect new government buildings as part of the Central Vista Redevelopment Project.
• Delhi Yellow Line: Samaypur Badli to Khera Kalan extension: This extension will go from Samaypur Badli metro station to Khera Kalan in North Delhi.
• Delhi Airport Air Train: There are plans for a train at Indira Gandhi International Airport with several stops.

Haryana

Bahadurgarh

Bahadurgarh will be linked to Delhi by the Delhi Metro Green Line, going from Bahadurgarh to Asaudha.

Faridabad

Faridabad will be linked to Delhi by the Delhi Metro Violet Line, with several extensions planned.

Gurugram

Gurugram has its own light metro network called Rapid Metro Gurgaon, with several extensions planned, including links to Faridabad and IGI Airport.

Jhajjhar

Jhajjhar will be linked to Delhi by an extension of the Delhi Metro Grey Line.

Sonipat

Sonipat will be linked to Delhi through extensions of the Delhi Metro Red Line in two phases.

Uttar Pradesh

Ghaziabad

Ghaziabad will be linked to Delhi through extensions of the Delhi Metro Pink Line.

Noida

Noida has its own metro network called Noida Metro, which connects to the Delhi Metro. Extensions include links to Sector 51, Knowledge Park-V, and Noida International Airport.

Integration with RRTS

The Delhi RRTS system, a fast regional train service, wants to connect Delhi with nearby cities. Phase I includes three routes: Delhi–Meerut, Delhi–Alwar, and Delhi–Panipat. The Delhi–Meerut route is being built now and will connect with the Delhi Metro at several stations.

Operations

Trains on the Delhi Metro run every one to ten minutes from early morning until midnight. They travel up to 75 kilometres per hour and stop for about 20 seconds at each station. You can hear station announcements in Hindi and English. Many stations have ATMs, places to buy food, cafés, small shops, and places to recharge mobile phones. Eating, drinking, smoking, and chewing gum are not allowed on the trains or at stations. The metro has special safety systems to give warnings in emergencies. The trains and stations are made to be safe from fires. You can find travel information using Google Maps. Since 2010, the first part of each train is reserved for women. There is a mobile app for iPhone and Android users with useful information.

Security for the Delhi Metro is provided by special police officers. There are many cameras watching the trains and stations, and security checks with machines that can find metal objects. There are also police officers at the stations and inside the trains. The metro regularly practices safety checks to make sure everything is safe.

For tickets, you can choose from several options. You can buy a ticket for one trip, use a smart card that works for many trips over a long time, or get a special tourist card for visiting the city. There are also tickets you can buy using a phone.

As the metro has grown, there have been times with too many people on the trains, causing delays. To help with this, longer trains have been added, and more trains are planned. The Delhi Metro also runs small electric buses to help people get to and from some metro stations. These buses go to nine different stations and follow set routes.

The Delhi Metro had many passengers before a big health problem in 2020, which caused services to stop for a time. When services started again, the number of daily passengers went down.

Main article: COVID-19 pandemic

Finances

The Delhi Metro has had money problems since 2010, but these problems have gotten a little better over time. A measure called EBITDA, which shows how well the metro is doing before counting some costs, went down from 73 percent in 2007 to 27 percent in 2016–17, then went up to 30 percent in 2017–18. To get more money, the metro began naming its stations through a public bidding process in 2014.

The Delhi Metro is owned by the government of Delhi and the government of India. In March 2016, the total amount owed was ₹291.5 billion (US$3.1 billion), and the money put into it by owners was ₹239.9 billion (US$2.5 billion). Some loans have no cost, while others from the Japan International Cooperation Agency cost a small amount.

Depots

As of March 2026, the Delhi Metro has 16 working depots, with 3 more being built.

Some depots, like Shastri Park and Yamuna Bank, are close to stations. Others, like Sarita Vihar and Mundka, connect to the main line in different ways. The Najafgarh depot is special because it holds trains of two different sizes from the Blue and Grey Lines. In the future, the Sarita Vihar depot will also hold trains for the Violet and Golden Line.

The Phase III Kalindi Kunj and Vinod Nagar depots were built in unique ways because of land problems. Kalindi Kunj has an extra yard next to the Jasola Vihar - Shaheen Bagh station, and Vinod Nagar has two smaller depots, one with two floors. There is also an elevated yard next to the Noida Electronic City station, but it is not counted as a depot. In Phase IV, the Mukundpur depot will be made bigger to hold trains for the Pink and Magenta Lines without land problems.

The Delhi Metro uses two types of train tracks. The older lines use wide tracks, while newer lines use standard tracks. Trains are kept at 15 depots across Delhi.

Broad gauge

Trains for the older wide-track lines were made by a group of companies (Hyundai Rotem, Mitsubishi Corporation, and MELCO). These trains have four doors and can carry up to 1,500 passengers. They have air conditioning, automatic doors, and can go about 32 km/h.

Standard gauge

Trains for the newer standard-track lines are made by BEML in Bangalore, mostly supplied by Hyundai Rotem. These four-car trains can hold 1,506 passengers. They have safety cameras, phone chargers, and can go about 34 km/h.

Airport Express

Six-car trains for the airport line were brought from Spain by CAF Beasain. These trains have quiet wheels, comfortable seats, and screens for entertainment and flight information.

Signaling and telecommunication

The Delhi Metro uses special signals and a central system to control trains automatically. This helps keep trains running safely and on time. The metro also uses a radio system to share voice and data across all its lines. For some lines, companies like Siemens and Alstom provided extra technology to help control and manage the trains.

The Airport Express line started offering WiFi at all its stations in January 2012. In the future, WiFi might also be available inside the trains. WiFi service is provided by YOU Broadband and Cable India. Later, in August 2017, WiFi became available at all 50 stations on the Blue Line. A company from France called Thales offered a system that could run trains without a driver.

Environment and aesthetics

The Delhi Metro works hard to help the environment. It was one of the first metro systems to get special recognition for building in ways that protect nature. Many stations collect rainwater to save resources. The metro also helps cut down pollution with its energy-saving trains.

The metro uses solar power at many spots, like stations and buildings, to be better for the planet. Artists and students add lovely artwork to stations. This shows Delhi’s culture and history. Some stations even have special paintings and crafts from artists all over India.

In popular culture

Some movies were filmed in the Delhi Metro. The first movie was Bewafaa in November 2005. Other films like Delhi-6, Love Aaj Kal, PK, and Paa also used the Delhi Metro for scenes. Bang Bang! was filmed near the Mayur Vihar Extension metro station in March 2014. The 2019 film War also used the metro for filming.