Metro glossary
29 metro and rapid rail terms in plain English, as we use them across the network.
A
- AFC (automatic fare collection)
- The gates and ticket systems that read a QR code or card when you enter and leave a station, so no paper ticket has to be checked by hand.
- At grade
- A track or station built at ground level, with no bridge or tunnel.
C
- Coming soon (on this site)
- Our label for a fact that the operator has not published or that we could not confirm. We do not fill the gap with a guess. How we check facts.
- Concourse
- The hall between the street and the platforms where the ticket gates, counters and machines usually sit.
- Corridor
- A planned route that may be built and opened in stages. A city can have several corridors, and one may carry passengers before another is built.
D
- Depot
- The yard where trains are parked, cleaned and repaired. Some depots have a station of their own, but not all of them carry passengers.
E
- e-Wallet
- A prepaid balance kept in an operator's app that you spend on metro tickets. Operators sometimes add a bonus when you recharge.
- Elevated
- A line built on pillars above the road. Most stations on newer Indian metros are elevated.
- Extension
- A new section added to the end of an existing line, usually opened with a fresh timetable.
F
- Feeder bus
- A bus that links a station with the neighbourhoods around it, so you can reach the metro without a car.
- First and last train
- The first and last departures of the day from a station. They differ by station and direction, and often differ on Sundays and public holidays.
- Frequency (headway)
- The gap between two trains. 'Every 10 minutes' means one train arrives about every ten minutes.
I
- Interchange
- A station where you can change from one line or service to another, sometimes with a walk through a connecting bridge.
L
- Last verified
- The date we last compared a fact with its named source. A fact can change after that date, so check the notice at the station. How we check facts.
- Line and corridor colour
- A colour or name used on maps to tell lines apart. A colour is a label for passengers, not a measure of anything.
M
- Metro
- An urban rail system that runs on its own tracks, away from road traffic, with frequent trains and stations close together.
- MRTS
- Mass rapid transit system. In this network it is the abbreviation used for the Meerut Metro part of the Delhi to Meerut line.
N
- NCMC
- National Common Mobility Card: one RuPay card that several transport systems in India can accept.
O
- Operator
- The company that runs the trains and stations. It is often a state or joint-venture corporation, and it publishes the official timetable and fares.
P
- Platform
- The raised area where you wait for and board a train. Many metro stations have one platform for each direction.
- Priority section
- The first stretch of a new line that is finished and opened to passengers before the rest of the line.
Q
- QR ticket
- A ticket shown as a QR code on a phone or on paper. You scan it at the gate to enter and sometimes to leave.
R
- RRTS (regional rapid transit system)
- A faster regional train that links cities, with fewer stops and higher speed than a city metro. Namo Bharat is India's RRTS.
S
- Single journey ticket (SJT)
- A ticket for one trip between two stations, valid for a limited time after you buy it.
- Smart card
- A rechargeable card you tap at the gate. Some cards are valid only on one operator and some work across systems.
- Stretcher lift
- A lift large enough to carry a stretcher or wheelchair, used by people who cannot use stairs or escalators.
T
- Tactile path
- A textured strip in the floor that guides people with low vision along the platform and to the lifts.
U
- Underground
- A station or section built below the street, in a tunnel.
Missing a term? Tell us. These definitions are general explanations, not operator rules; the operator's own notice always applies.