[13][14][15] It is the first of the four rapid rail corridors planned under the first phase of the RapidX project managed by the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC).

[16][17][18][19][20] The foundation stone for the project was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March 2019, and construction began in June 2019.

[21][22] The project's first phase, or the 17 km (11 mi)-long priority corridor from Sahibabad to Duhai Depot, was expected to become operational by March 2023.

It was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 20 October 2023, and the rest of the entire 82 km (51 mi)-long corridor will be opened by June 2025.

[3][4] Due to increasing population, traffic, congestion, pollution, demand and risk of accidents and mishaps in the National Capital Region (NCR), in 2005, the Planning Commission formed a task force under the Chairmanship of Secretary, Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) to develop a multi-modal regional transit system for the NCR.

Therefore, the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) was formed in July 2013, as a joint venture (JV) of the Governments of India and the states of Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi.

The Delhi–Meerut corridor was chosen to be implemented first, due to high frequency of travellers and traffic between Delhi and Meerut, so, the central, state governments and the NCRTC began studies and cleared its construction.

[25] The feasibility study and the Detailed Project Report (DPR) prepared by the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) were approved by the Government of Uttar Pradesh in May 2017.

[29] The NCRTC planned for the 17 km (11 mi)-long priority section between Sahibabad and Duhai Depot to begin regular operations by March 2023.

[30] However, due to some works pending in the stations, especially in Ghaziabad, it got delayed, so it was inaugurated and opened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 20 October 2023.

[35][6][7] Another 16.6 km (10.3 mi)-long section from Sarai Kale Khan to New Ashok Nagar will be completed by the scheduled deadline of June 2025.

[3] Following the Galwan Valley skirmish on 15 June 2020, there were calls by the Swadeshi Jagaran Manch for the Government to cancel the bid of a Chinese company involved in constructing and manufacturing the trains of the RRTS.

Due to its terminal status and location, it will be a multi-modal transport hub by directly connecting with the adjoining transport systems and facilities in vicinity, like the Sarai Kale Khan - Nizamuddin metro station of the Delhi Metro, the Sarai Kale Khan Inter-State Bus Terminus (ISBT), and the Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station, to facilitate smooth and hassle-free movement of commuters.

They have several facilities to fulfill the requirements of travellers and on-board passengers to ensure smooth and hassle-free experience, like booking counters, ticket and food vending machines, on-board catering and washrooms, check-in kiosks, baggage checking counters, CCTVs, platform screen doors (PSDs), washrooms, retiring rooms, 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 other existing transport modes like Delhi Metro stations in the Delhi section, inter-state bus terminals (ISBTs) of the Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) at Anand Vihar, Sahibabad and Shaheed Sthal at Ghaziabad, Indian railway stations, Meerut Metro stations in the Meerut section, cabs, auto-rickshaw stands, parking spaces, etc.

For the very first time in India, the NCRTC has introduced a "one-tap ticketing" feature to commute in the Namo Bharat trains through the 'RRTS Connect' app.

This feature allows commuters to generate a QR code swiftly on this app from anywhere within 300 metres of the RRTS station premise, with just one tap and without bothering about destination, thus saving them time and effort to book tickets in advance.

[54] In December 2024, since the opening till Meerut South in August 2024, this record surpassed 5 million, with a daily ridership of over 20,000 passengers.

[55][1] It is expected to go up to 800,000 per day after the entire 82.15 km (51.05 mi)-long corridor from Sarai Kale Khan to Modipuram becomes operational by June 2025.

[58][59] In September 2020, the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) released the design of the RRTS train, which is inspired by the Lotus Temple.

They have several facilities and amenities to cater the needs of the passengers, such as on-board catering, ticket scanners, food vending machines, information display systems, hand rests on the sides of the seats, adequate walking space, window blinders, charging points, fire alarms, washrooms, CCTVs, separate seats for and wheelchairs for physically challenged passengers.

[59] The RRTS, after starting from Jangpura, will be connected to the Delhi Metro's Pink Line at Sarai Kale Khan before taking its course towards Meerut.

Tenders for its procurement were invited on 17 April 2020, and Alstom was awarded the contract worth approximately ₹937 crore (US$110 million) in January 2021.

The NCRTC is also repairing and revamping the roads beneath the viaduct sections after completing works to ensure enhanced flow of traffic without interruptions.

Being a rail-based transit system and reduced friction owing to steel-to-steel rolling contact, the corridor will have one-fifth fossil fuel consumption compared to road vehicles.

These sustainability measures will lead to drastic reductions in carbon dioxide emissions, by an estimated 250,000 tonnes per year, and also save water.