India’s metro rail network has reached 1,170 km and is just 216 km short of the US
India is expected to surpass the United States in the total length of its metro rail network within the next two years, Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal said on Saturday.
Speaking after inaugurating an extended stretch of the Indore Metro, the minister noted that India’s operational metro network has reached 1,170 kilometres, leaving it just 216 kilometres short of the US figure of 1,386 kilometres.
“I think in the next two years, we will overtake the US and become the world’s second-largest country in terms of metro rail network after China,” Lal said in the presence of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav. China currently operates around 8,000 kilometres of metro lines.
Rapid Expansion Since 2014
The minister highlighted the scale of growth under the present government. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed office in 2014, metro services were operational on only 245 kilometres across five cities. The network has since expanded to 1,170 kilometres spanning 26 cities.
Lal described metro rail as more than a transport system, calling it a means of improving people’s “ease of living.” He linked the continued expansion of urban rail infrastructure to the broader national goal of building a developed India, or ‘Viksit Bharat’, by 2047.
Indore Metro Extension
The immediate occasion for the announcement was the inauguration of the extended Indore Metro route, constructed at a cost of Rs 2,850 crore.
The service, which earlier operated commercially on a six-kilometre stretch between Gandhi Nagar and Super Corridor-3 stations, will now run on a 17-kilometre corridor between Gandhi Nagar and Malviya Nagar Chauraha.
Officials said the extended line covers 16 stations and improves connectivity between major commercial and residential areas of the city. Trains will operate from 9 am to 7 pm daily at 15-minute intervals, with more than 80 trips scheduled each day.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said the metro was writing a new chapter in Indore’s development and expressed the hope that it would eventually be extended to Ujjain and other nearby areas.
He also thanked the Prime Minister for approving the Rs 18,500-crore Indore-Manmad railway line, which is expected to strengthen rail connectivity between Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat.
India’s metro expansion forms a key pillar of its urban mobility strategy. Multiple cities continue to add new corridors and extend existing ones, supported by a combination of central and state funding.
If the target is met, India would rank second globally in metro network length, behind only China. The development underscores the pace at which the country is investing in mass rapid transit systems to address congestion, improve air quality and support the growth of its expanding urban centres.
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