Delhi Suburban Railway - Delhi Ring Railway

Delhi Ring Railway is part of the Delhi Suburban Railway services.The Ring Railway is a circular rail network in Delhi, which runs parallel to the Ring Road and was conceived during the 1982 Asian Games. Started in 1975 to service goods, it later upgraded for the Games, when 24 additional services were started. Its circular route is 35km long, which the train takes 90-120 minutes to complete, both clockwise and anti-clockwise, via Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station, from 8am-7pm. With a return ticket for the entire journey costing 12, compared to with Delhi Metro, which is around 60, it is preferred by poor and middle-class families. It runs seven clockwise and six anti-clockwise trains at a peak frequency of 60-90 min., during the morning and evening rush hours. However in the coming decades Delhi spread far beyond Ring Road, making the ring railway largely redundant. Nevertheless, prior to the 2010 Commonwealth Games, 7 stations near the sports venues, namely Chanakyapuri, Sarojini Nagar, Inderpuri Halt, Lajpat Nagar, Sewa Nagar, Lodhi Colony and Safdarjung, received a facelift at the cost of 3 crores.

The ring-railway service was introduced on a track laid in the 1975 so that the large number of goods trains originating, terminating, or passing through the city, could bypass the main passenger stations at New Delhi, Old Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin. The track was called the 'Delhi Avoiding Line'. Today, however, the Northern Railway’s service for passengers within the city has become something which Delhiites are avoiding. There are 12 electric trains on the ring rail. Only three of the twelve EMUs run to full capacity. The rest have just 1-2% occupancy. The ring railway starts and ends at the Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station with trains running in both clockwise and anti-clockwise directions around the city.