Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs, Shri Manohar Lal, today emphasized the transformative developments in India’s Metro Rail network over the past decade. Addressing the media, he noted that prior to 2014, the Metro Rail system in India was limited to just 248 km and operational in only 5 cities. Over the last ten years,700 km of new Metro lines have been made operational, bringing the total operational length to 945 km, and extending Metro services to 21 cities across the country.

Highlighting the rapid progress, Shri Manohar Lal stated, "Before 2014, on average, only 600 meters of Metro line was being constructed per month. Today, this figure has increased tenfold to 6 km per month, demonstrating 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, underscoring the government’s dedication to enhancing urban infrastructure. These include:

- Bengaluru Metro Project:  44 km expansion comprising two corridors.

- Thane Metro Project: 29 km network aimed at reducing congestion on the roads of Thane.

- Pune Metro Project: A 5.5 km route to further improve urban mobility in the city.

 

Shri Manohar Lal also highlighted the significant strides made in indigenization, with the majority of civil structures being constructed domestically. He pointed out that India has developed four state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities of metro coaches that have produced over 1,000 Metro coaches in the last five years, supporting various Metro rail systems across the country.

With the approval of these new projects, India now has 1,018 km of Metro lines under construction. The Minister proudly mentioned that India currently ranks third globally in terms of operational Metro network length, following China and the USA. "We are poised to soon surpass the USA and become second only to China," he remarked, attributing this success to the ‘Make in India’ initiative championed by Prime Minister Modi.

In addition to domestic achievements, the Minister spoke of the growing international interest in India’s expertise in Metro rail systems. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is currently implementing a Metro rail system in Bangladesh and has provided consultancy services in Jakarta. Countries like Israel, Saudi Arabia (Riyadh), Kenya, and El Salvador have also shown interest in partnering with DMRC for their Metro development projects.

Regarding the Rapid Rail Transit System (RRTS), Shri Manohar Lal provided updates on the Delhi-Meerut corridor. "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 issue of 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 of Delhi, and Sonepat and Panipat in the north of Delhi, will soon be sanctioned.

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Sushil Kumar

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