If you are asking “nearest metro station to Taj Mahal”, you usually mean one of three passenger problems: reaching the East Gate tourist cluster, staying in a Fatehabad Road hotel, or connecting from the Fort / old city after a morning monument. Agra Metro’s open Yellow Line priority corridor was built exactly for this belt. It is not a theme-park shuttle that opens onto the reflecting pool.
Taj East Gate metro station
Taj East Gate is the namesake elevated stop at the southern tourist end of the open corridor. It is the first station many visitors should type into a map when their hotel, driver or guide says “East Gate”. From the unpaid plaza you still walk or take a short last-mile ride to the Archaeological Survey of India entry. Sunrise tickets, security queues and golf-cart / battery van options at the monument are ASI rules, not metro rules.
Taj Mahal metro station
Taj Mahal station is an underground stop on the same open stretch, often described in public lists as serving the Taj approach / Purani Mandi catchment. Use it when your map shows a shorter walk to the gate you actually hold a ticket for. Underground stations mean lifts, more stairs, and weaker phone signal — download QR tickets before you go down.
Fatehabad Road station for hotels
If you sleep on the hotel strip, Fatehabad Road is often the honest answer, not a heroic walk from East Gate with a suitcase. Shaheed Captain Shubham Gupta (Basai) covers nearby guest houses. Ride metro toward Mankameshwar when you want the Fort after the Taj, instead of sitting in Fatehabad Road taxi traffic.
Tickets, bags and timing
Buy a QR ticket or token for each ride; there is no guaranteed branded “Taj tourist pass” on this portal. Oversized luggage is a metro-security problem. Leave spare bags at the hotel. Public hours are commonly described as about 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM — that may not match every sunrise entry slot, so check both ASI timing and last train. Use the fare calculator only as an estimate.
What not to do
Do not follow a tout who says the metro is “closed for VIPs”. Do not treat under-construction stations as boarding points. Keep last-train time in mind if you have a railway connection.