Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs, Shri Manohar Lal, today spotlighted the significant progress made in India’s Metro Rail network over the past decade. Speaking to the media, he emphasized that in 2014, the Metro Rail system in India was limited to just 248 km and operational in only 5 cities. However, over the last ten years, an additional 700 km of Metro lines have been made operational, expanding the total network to 945 km across 21 cities nationwide.
Highlighting this rapid growth, Shri Manohar Lal noted, “Before 2014, the average monthly construction rate for Metro lines was just 600 meters. Today, it has surged tenfold to 6 km per month, reflecting the government’s strong commitment to urban development under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.”
The Union Minister also announced the recent approval of three major Metro Rail projects by the Union Cabinet, further emphasizing the government’s focus on enhancing urban infrastructure. These projects include:
- Bengaluru Metro Project: A 44 km expansion with two new corridors.
- Thane Metro Project: A 29 km network aimed at easing road congestion in Thane.
- Pune Metro Project: A 5.5 km route to boost urban mobility in Pune.
Shri Manohar Lal also underscored the strides made in indigenization, with most civil structures now being constructed domestically. He highlighted that India has developed four advanced metro coach manufacturing facilities, producing over 1,000 metro coaches in the past five years to support various Metro systems across the country.
With the addition of these new projects, India now has 1,018 km of Metro lines under construction. The Minister proudly noted that India currently ranks third globally in terms of operational Metro network length, following China and the USA. He expressed confidence that India is on track to soon surpass the USA, attributing this growth to the ‘Make in India’ initiative led by Prime Minister Modi.
On the global front, Shri Manohar Lal mentioned the increasing international interest in India’s Metro rail expertise. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is actively involved in implementing a Metro system in Bangladesh and has offered consultancy services in Jakarta. Nations such as Israel, Saudi Arabia (Riyadh), Kenya, and El Salvador have also shown interest in collaborating with DMRC for their Metro projects.
Regarding the Rapid Rail Transit System (RRTS), the Minister provided updates on the Delhi-Meerut corridor. He stated, “Under the visionary leadership of the Hon’ble Prime Minister, the first RRTS corridor of 82 km between Delhi and Meerut has been sanctioned at a cost of Rs. 30,274 crore. Today, 34 km of this corridor is operational, with the ‘NaMo Bharat’ train running on this network. We expect the project to be fully completed by June 2025.”
Addressing the additional RRTS corridors, the Minister acknowledged delays due to resistance from the Delhi government but assured that the remaining two priority corridors, connecting Gurugram, Manesar, and Dharuhera in the south, and Sonepat and Panipat in the north of Delhi, will soon receive approval.
