India built over 700 kilometres metro rail network in last 10 years

New Delhi, India (Metro Rail Today): Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs, Shri Manohar Lal, today highlighted the significant advancements in India’s Metro Rail network over the past decade. Speaking to the media, he noted that before 2014, the Metro Rail system in India covered only 248 km and was operational in just 5 cities. In the past ten years, the network has expanded by 700 km, bringing the total operational length to 945 km and extending services to 21 cities across the country.

Shri Manohar Lal emphasized the rapid progress in metro construction, stating, "Before 2014, only 600 meters of Metro line was being constructed per month on average. Today, this has increased tenfold to 6 km per month, reflecting the government’s commitment to urban development under the visionary 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:

• Bengaluru Metro Project: A 44 km expansion comprising two corridors.
• Thane Metro Project: A 29 km network aimed at reducing road congestion in Thane.
• Pune Metro Project: A 5.5 km route to enhance urban mobility in Pune.

He highlighted the progress in indigenization, noting that most civil structures are now built domestically. India has developed four state-of-the-art metro coach manufacturing facilities that have produced over 1,000 coaches in the last five years for various metro systems across the country.

With these new projects, India now has 1,018 km of Metro lines under construction. Shri Manohar Lal proudly mentioned that India currently ranks third globally in operational Metro network length, behind China and the USA, and is poised to soon surpass the USA.

In addition to domestic advancements, the Minister spoke about international interest in India’s metro expertise. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is implementing a metro rail system in Bangladesh and providing consultancy services in Jakarta. Countries like Israel, Saudi Arabia (Riyadh), Kenya, and El Salvador are also exploring partnerships with DMRC for their metro projects.

Regarding the Rapid Rail Transit System (RRTS), Shri Manohar Lal provided updates on the Delhi-Meerut corridor. "Under the 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. Currently, 34 km of this corridor is operational, with the ‘NaMo Bharat’ train running on it. We anticipate the project will be completed by June 2025."

The Minister acknowledged delays in additional RRTS corridors due to resistance from the Delhi government but assured that the remaining two priority corridors connecting Gurugram, Manesar, and Dharuhera in the south of Delhi, and Sonepat and Panipat in the north, will soon be sanctioned.