Metro services extended to 21 cities across country in last ten years: Manohar Lal

New Delhi, Aug 17 (PTI) Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal on Saturday said that 700 km of new metro lines have been made operational in the last ten years, bringing the total operational length to 945 km, and extending metro services to 21 cities across the country.

Talking to reporters, the minister emphasized the transformative developments in India’s metro rail network over the past decade.

He said that prior to 2014, the metro rail system in India was limited to just 248 km and operational in only five cities.

Highlighting the rapid progress, Manohar Lal said that before 2014, on an average, only 600 meters of metro line was being constructed every month.

This figure has today increased tenfold to six km every month, demonstrating the government’s commitment to urban development under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visionary leadership, the minister said.

“Prior to 2014, the metro rail system in India was limited to just 248 km and operational in only five 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,” he said.

The Union Cabinet on Friday approved metro rail projects in Pune, Thane and Bengaluru.

The Cabinet has approved two corridors of the Bangalore Metro Rail Project Phase-3, according to Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.

On Saturday, the Union housing and urban affairs minister 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, he said, adding 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 the DMRC for their metro development projects, he said.

Addressing the issue of additional RRTS corridors, he also flagged delays due to resistance from the Delhi government, but assured that the remaining two priority corridors connecting Gurugram, Manesar, and Dharuhera and Sonepat and Panipat in the north of Delhi, will soon be sanctioned.