It is being built at an estimated cost of ₹11,540 crore (US$1.3 billion), and due to its merger with the RRTS, the metro and its trains will be owned and operated by National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC).

[7][8] Due to rising population, traffic, congestion and demand in Meerut, 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 Uttar Pradesh in the early 2010s.

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.

[5][7][9][8] During the clash in the Galwan Valley in 2020, the Swadeshi Jagran Manch urged the Government of India to withdraw the bid from a Chinese company associated with manufacturing the trains of the metro.

[13] The National Capital Region Transport Corporation (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 Delhi–Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) and the metro trains, and four packages, which are part of the packages of the RRTS as well.

Additionally, there will be interchange points with the Delhi–Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) at Meerut South, Shatabdi Nagar, Begumpul, and Modipuram stations.

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.

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.