Talking about how the Metro services have changed in India in the last decade, Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal said that these services have been extended to 21 cities across the country.
He added that prior to 2014, the total length of the metro rail system was limited to just 248 kilometres and was available in just five cities. However, about 700 kilometres of new metro lines were made operational in the last ten years, he added. Today, the total length of metro lines stands at 945 kilometres.
Highlighting the rapid progress, Manohar Lal stated that prior to 2014, an average of only 600 meters of metro line was being constructed each month.
Presently, this figure has increased to six kilometres of metro lines being laid every month.
“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.
1,000 metro coaches in five years
The Union housing and urban affairs minister said that India has developed four state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities of metro coaches. These facilities have created over 1,000 metro coaches in the last five years.
With the recent approvals given by the Cabinet to major metro projects in Maharashtra and Karnataka, India now has 1,018 km of metro lines under construction, the minister added. This ranks India 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.
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is currently implementing a metro rail system in Bangladesh and has provided consultancy services in Jakarta. Additionally, countries like Israel, Saudi Arabia (Riyadh), Kenya, and El Salvador have expressed interest in collaborating with the DMRC for their metro development projects, he noted.
(With PTI inputs)