India May Overtake US in Metro Rail Network Within Two Years: Minister

India is likely to overtake the United States in terms of metro rail network length within the next two years, Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal said.

Speaking after inaugurating the extended metro rail service in Indore on Saturday (September 5), Lal said India’s metro network has reached 1,170 kilometres across 26 cities, compared with 1,386 kilometres in the United States.

He said India is now only 216 kilometres behind the US and expressed confidence that the country would surpass it within two years to become the world’s second-largest metro rail network after China.

Lal said India had only 245 kilometres of metro rail routes across five cities when Prime Minister Narendra Modi took office in 2014. The network has since expanded to 1,170 kilometres across 26 cities.

The extended Indore metro route, built at a cost of Rs 2,850 crore, will operate along a 17-kilometre stretch between Gandhi Nagar and Malviya Nagar Chauraha. Trains will run every 15 minutes, with more than 80 trips scheduled daily.

Lal said metro rail is not merely a mode of transportation but also a means of improving people’s quality of life. He linked the expansion of the network to India’s goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047.