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 covering a total distance of 374.466 kilometers.

Construction of the Delhi Metro began in 1998, and the first part of the system opened to the public in December 2002. Over the years, it has grown in phases, with the latest phase mostly finishing in 2021 and a small part opening in 2023. Phase IV of the project began in late 2019.

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 became the first metro system in the world to earn special recognition from the United Nations for helping reduce harmful gases in the air.

Each day, the Delhi Metro makes over 4,300 trips and carries millions of passengers. It connects with other nearby transit systems, such as the Rapid Metro Gurgaon and Noida Metro, making travel easier for many people in the region. In 2025, the Delhi Metro had an annual ridership of 235.8crore, which equals 2.35 billion passengers. 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 after a study about traffic and travel in the city. For many years, different groups worked on plans for the best routes and how to build the system. In 1984, a group suggested building a system with three underground lines to help with travel and connect to buses and trains.

As the city grew, more people lived there and more cars filled the roads. Traffic and pollution became big problems. Buses were not always reliable or comfortable. 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. It was planned carefully to avoid delays that happened with another metro system in India. 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 of 64.75 kilometers with 59 stations was built in Delhi. This included parts of the Red, Yellow, and Blue Lines. These stations opened to the public between 2002 and 2006.

Phase II

More lines and stations were added, totaling 123.3 kilometers and 86 stations. This included extensions to other cities around Delhi. By the end of this phase in 2011, the total network was 188.05 kilometers with 145 stations.

Phase III

To help more people travel, new lines and extensions were added. This phase added 162.375 kilometers of track, including the Pink, Magenta, and Grey Lines. Work started in 2011 and finished in 2021, though some parts were delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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. When this phase is done, the Delhi Metro will be more than 450 kilometers long.

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, covering a distance of 34.55 kilometres. It has sections that are elevated and at ground level, crossing the Yamuna River between Kashmere Gate and Shastri Park. The first part of the line opened on 24 December 2002. It has interchanges with several other lines, including the Yellow, Violet, Green, Pink, and Magenta Lines.

Yellow Line (Line 2)

Main article: Yellow Line (Delhi Metro)

The Yellow Line was the metro’s second line and its first underground line. It runs 49 kilometres from Samaypur Badli to Millennium City Centre Gurugram in Gurugram. The northern and southern parts are elevated, while the central part, passing through busy parts of Delhi, is underground. It opened in sections starting in 2004. The line includes India’s second-deepest metro station and has interchanges with many other lines.

Blue Line (Lines 3 and 4)

Main article: Blue Line (Delhi Metro)

The Blue Line was the third line to open and the first to connect areas outside Delhi. It mainly runs elevated and partly underground, linking Dwarka Sub City to Noida in the east, covering 56.61 kilometres. It opened in sections starting in 2005. The line crosses the Yamuna River and includes India’s second extradosed bridge. It has interchanges with several other lines and connects to bus and railway terminals.

Green Line (Line 5)

Main article: Green Line (Delhi Metro)

The Green Line opened in 2010 and was Delhi Metro’s fifth line. It runs between Inderlok and Brigadier Hoshiyar Singh, with a branch to Kirti Nagar on the Blue Line. The elevated line runs along a busy route in West Delhi and covers 29.64 kilometres. It has interchanges with the Pink Line and includes India’s first standard-gauge maintenance depot.

Violet Line (Line 6)

Main article: Violet Line (Delhi Metro)

The Violet Line is the sixth line and the second standard-gauge corridor. It is 47 kilometres long and connects Raja Nahar Singh in Ballabgarh to Kashmere Gate in New Delhi. The line opened in sections starting in 2010 and includes bridges over railways and roads. It has interchanges with several other lines and serves hospitals and tourist spots.

Airport Express Line / Orange Line

Main article: Airport Express Line (Delhi Metro)

The Airport Express Line links New Delhi to Yashobhoomi Dwarka Sector - 25, connecting the New Delhi railway station and Indira Gandhi International Airport. It is 22.7 kilometres long and has six stations. The line opened in 2011 after delays and now operates with six-coach trains at higher speeds. It has interchanges with the Yellow, Blue, and Pink Lines.

Pink Line (Line 7)

Main article: Pink Line (Delhi Metro)

The Pink Line opened in 2018 and is Delhi Metro’s longest line at 73.49 kilometres. It runs in a ring shape around Delhi and has 46 stations. The elevated line connects many parts of the city and has interchanges with most other lines. It reaches the metro’s highest point at Dhaula Kuan.

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 includes India’s first driverless train service and 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 has an interchange with the Blue Line at Dwarka.

Network

Main article: List of Delhi Metro stations

The Delhi Metro is growing 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

By the time Phase IV of the Delhi Metro is finished, the city will need Phase V to handle more people and transport needs. Here are some planned extensions for Phase-V:

• Delhi Blue Line Metro: Yamuna Bank to Loni: The Blue Line will be extended 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: A proposed Automated People Mover at Indira Gandhi International Airport with several stations.

Haryana

Bahadurgarh

Bahadurgarh will be connected to Delhi by the Delhi Metro Green Line, extending from Bahadurgarh to Asaudha.

Faridabad

Faridabad will be connected 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 connected to Delhi by an extension of the Delhi Metro Grey Line.

Sonipat

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

Uttar Pradesh

Ghaziabad

Ghaziabad will be connected 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 Regional Rapid Transit System, aims to connect Delhi with neighboring cities. Phase I includes three corridors: Delhi–Meerut, Delhi–Alwar, and Delhi–Panipat. The Delhi–Meerut corridor is currently under development and will integrate with the Delhi Metro at several stations.

Operations

Trains on the Delhi Metro run every one to ten minutes from early morning until midnight, depending on how busy it is. 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, and 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, and 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, and sometimes the last part is also reserved when the train changes direction at certain stations. 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 problems with too many people on the trains, causing delays. To help with this, longer trains have been added, and more trains are planned. Some bus services that connect to the metro stations have also been hard to use. Even though many people like how clean and nice the Delhi Metro is, some think the fares are too high compared to bus fares.

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. The most passengers ever recorded on a single day was almost 8 million on November 18, 2024.

Main article: COVID-19 pandemic

Finances

The Delhi Metro has faced financial losses since 2010, but these losses have become smaller over time. A measure called EBITDA, which shows how well the metro is doing before counting certain costs, dropped from 73 percent in 2007 to 27 percent in 2016–17, then improved to 30 percent in 2017–18. To bring in extra money, the metro started 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. Plans for special magnetic levitation trains were considered but decided against in 2012.

By March 2015, there were 1,306 train cars (220 trains). New lines were planned for Phase III. Unattended train operation will use 486 cars (81 six-car trains). More cars were planned for future lines. By the end of Phase III, there would be 2,188 cars (333 trains). Most trains would have six or eight cars.

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. They also have recorders to keep track of events and systems to reduce noise.

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 has been recognized for its efforts to protect the environment. It was the second metro system in the world to receive special certification for building in a way that helps nature. Many stations collect rainwater to save resources, and the metro has also earned special credits for reducing pollution through its energy-saving trains.

The metro uses solar power at many places, including stations and buildings, to help the environment. Artists and students have added beautiful artwork to stations, showing local culture and important parts of Delhi’s history. Some stations even display special paintings and crafts from artists across 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.