Union Minister Manohar Lal Highlights India’s Metro Rail Growth and New Projects
New Delhi, India – Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs, Manohar Lal, shared exciting updates about India’s Metro Rail network’s growth over the past decade. He explained that before 2014, the Metro Rail system was only 248 km long and operated in 5 cities. Now, it has expanded to 945 km, serving 21 cities.
Manohar Lal emphasized the rapid progress, stating, “Before 2014, only 600 meters of Metro line was being constructed per month. Today, this figure has increased to 6 km per month.” He credited this growth to the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Union Minister announced three new Metro Rail projects approved by the Union Cabinet: the Bengaluru Metro Project (44 km), the Thane Metro Project (29 km), and the Pune Metro Project (5.5 km). He also highlighted India’s success in building Metro coaches domestically, with over 1,000 coaches produced in the last five years.
With these new projects, India now has 1,018 km of Metro lines under construction, ranking third globally in operational Metro network length, behind China and the USA. Manohar Lal expressed confidence that India will soon surpass the USA.
Internationally, India’s expertise in Metro rail systems is gaining attention. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is working on a Metro system in Bangladesh and providing consultancy in Jakarta. Countries like Israel, Saudi Arabia, Kenya, and El Salvador are also interested in partnering with DMRC.
Regarding the Rapid Rail Transit System (RRTS), Manohar Lal provided updates on the Delhi-Meerut corridor. The first 82 km corridor, costing Rs. 30,274 crore, has 34 km operational with the ‘NaMo Bharat’ train. The project is expected to be completed by June 2025. He also mentioned delays in additional RRTS corridors due to resistance from the Delhi government but assured that they will be sanctioned soon.
Doubts Revealed
Union Minister -: A Union Minister is a person who is in charge of a specific department in the government of India. They help make important decisions for the country.
Manohar Lal -: Manohar Lal is a person who works as a Union Minister in the Indian government. He helps manage and improve the country’s transportation systems.
Metro Rail -: Metro Rail is a type of fast train that runs in big cities. It helps people travel quickly and easily within the city.
Metro coaches -: Metro coaches are the train cars or compartments that people sit in when they travel on the Metro Rail.
Delhi-Meerut Rapid Rail Transit System -: This is a special train system being built to connect Delhi and Meerut, making travel between these two cities faster and easier.
