How metro advertising is sold
A metro corporation rarely sells to each brand. It licenses the right to advertise to an agency, for years. The agency then sells space to brands.
So you will meet two kinds of seller: the licence holder, and agencies that buy from the licence holder. Both add to the price.
The steps in a DMRC tender
- DMRC publishes a tender document for one package, for example the trains of one line or a group of stations.
- Agencies bid online on the e-procurement portal. A bid has a technical part (experience and money strength) and a financial part.
- In the train tenders, the agency that quotes the highest annual licence fee wins. In the station tender we read, the bid is a licence fee for each square metre of display area per month.
- The winner signs a licence for years. In the documents we read, that is nine years for trains, and nine plus six for stations, with a lock-in of two years.
- The licence fee is paid in advance by the quarter. In the train tender, it rises in steps every three years.
- The licence holder designs, makes, installs and sells the advertising. DMRC approves its plans and every creative.
Why this matters to you: the licence holder pays DMRC for years in advance and has costs to recover. That sits inside every quote you get.
What formats exist
Inside trains
- Panels inside coaches. On some lines these are static, and on others digital panels are also part of the contract.
- Inside wraps in designated areas, on Line-7.
- Not allowed in the train tenders we read: ads on route maps, on the train floor or on strap hangers.
Train wraps
- Full or partial wraps on the outside of coaches. Only a share of the coaches on a line can be wrapped.
- Extra coaches for wraps are charged per coach per month in the tender.
- Wraps must not damage the paint. Film on glass must be contra-vision, so that passengers can still see out.
Inside stations
- Panels, floor and roof branding, lift and escalator branding, and platform screen doors.
- Smart posters and screens that show pictures without sound.
- Canopies, and QR codes or graphics for online shopping.
- Only inside the station. In the Line-6 tender, nothing is allowed on the outer side of stations.
Tunnels and structures
- Tunnel sections, sold as a set of sections on the up and down lines. A 2022 DMRC tender covered four sections of Line-2.
- Outside civil structures such as viaducts. DMRC's advertisers list shows these rights as a separate type.
Station naming and co-branding
- Chennai calls it semi-naming. A company adds its name as a prefix or suffix to a station name, and may colour the station in its brand colour.
- Ahmedabad's notice of January 2026 offers a similar right, with the brand in announcements, signs and platform screen doors.
- It is not offered everywhere. The DMRC Line-1 train tender says station naming and co-branding are not allowed under that contract.
Piers and portals
In Chennai, advertisement rights on the piers and portals along the overhead corridors are tendered on their own, apart from stations.
What drives the cost, in kind
Because there is no public rate card, think in terms of what you are buying. Each of these can move the price.
- The line and its riders. A busy line puts your message in front of more people. Operators such as Chennai publish monthly passenger flow, and Ahmedabad's notice includes footfall details.
- The station. Interchange stations and large stations have more space, and Ahmedabad's notice sorts its stations into categories.
- The format. A wrap, a panel, a screen and a naming right are different products with different costs to make and run.
- Exclusive or shared. Some rights are exclusive to the licence holder. Your campaign may share a station with others.
- The area. The station tender charges for the actual display area, without the frame.
- The number of coaches or trains. Wraps are counted by coach.
- Time. Licence holders sell by the month or the campaign. Ask for the minimum.
- Making and putting up the creative. The licence holder usually prints and fits. Ask who pays for changes.
- Demand. Our view: busy seasons and big events are likely to affect availability. Ask when a line is full.
Rules your creative must meet
- DMRC approves every creative before display. The train tender says so in plain words.
- A negative list bars nudity, caste or community messages, alcohol, tobacco and drugs, lottery, violence, weapons and ads banned by law.
- You may not use the DMRC name or logo, or co-brand with it, without its written permission.
- A surrogate ad, one that promotes a banned product through another, needs an NOC from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
- Political ads follow the Election Commission's Model Code of Conduct while it is in force.
- Wrap and panel materials must be fire retardant and low smoke.
Send your design early. Approval time is part of your schedule.
How to compare two quotes
Use the same method as for roads. Our guide to hoarding advertising cost has the long version.
- Ask each seller for the line, the stations or the train sets, and the exact format and size.
- Ask for the dates, the minimum period and the start date.
- Ask who prints, who fits, and what a change costs.
- Ask whether it is exclusive in that place, and what other ads will be next to yours.
- Ask for the licence: the contract for that line and period.
- Ask what proof of display you get, and when.
- Put the quotes side by side on one sheet. Add what each leaves out.
Say Quote A offers a wrap on a few coaches for a month. Quote B offers panels in many stations for the same month. They cannot be compared on the headline price. Compare who sees each one, for how long, and what is included. The example is made up, and carries no figures.
How to check delivery
- Check the seller holds the rights. DMRC publishes a list of licence holders, with the type of advertisement, line, stations and contract period. Ask the seller to show their entry or their contract.
- Ask for dated, location-tagged photographs of each placement: for wraps, the train set and coach; for stations, the station and the spot.
- Ask for photographs at the start, in the middle and at the end.
- Visit a few placements yourself, at different times.
- Ask for the operator's own ridership or footfall data for the line, where it is published.
- Tie your last payment to the proof.
Mistakes we see
- Taking a rate from a booking website as if it were official.
- Comparing a wrap with a panel as if they were the same thing.
- Sending the design late, and losing days to approval.
- Not asking who holds the rights for that line.
- Paying in full before any proof of display.
- Judging the line by name, not by the stations and the riders.
When to ask for help
Ask for help when you want a multi-city plan. Ask too when you need to compare a metro deal with roads and other media, or want proof of display you can trust. We shortlist, compare and track. See our transit advertising and outdoor advertising pages, the page for outdoor advertising in Delhi NCR, and read about what marketing costs in kind.
