Narendra Modi’s ‘Metro’ vision: 50 cities to be covered through 700 km network in coming years, says Hardeep Singh Puri

Mar 06,2018

Narendra Modi’s ‘Metro’ vision: 50 cities to be covered through 700 km network in coming years, says Hardeep Singh Puri

Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has said that India is moving towards a Metro network of more than 700 kilometres. This goal will be achieved in the next few years, he said, without issuing a specific timeline. He also shed a light on the fact that the government has the vision to have Metro in as many as 50 cities in the country. While addressing the inaugural session of CoMET 2018 Management Meeting at Metro Bhawan today, Puri said, “As much as 425 kilometres of Metro lines are already in operation in 10 cities. Metro projects in India are not only perceived as a solution to transportation requirements but as a means to transform cities. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision is looking where 50 Indian cities will have Metro transportation system.”

Hosted by Delhi Metro this year, CoMET or the Community of Metros is an organisation of Metro systems from across the world, with participants ranging from all Metro networks along with experts from the Railway and Transport Strategy Centre, Imperial College, London.

Describing the Delhi Metro as the forerunner of India’s Metro story, Puri said that it was now operating on a network of 231 kilometres and carrying three million people every day. In a year’s time, the network length in the nation’s capital region was going to cross 350 kilometres which would place Delhi Metro among the top five large Metro systems in the world.

Hardeep Singh Puri also said that the Metro Policy, announced last year would further propel the development of Metro in India. “Last year, the Metro Rail policy was announced. This policy enables greater private participation, innovative financing, value capital finance and provides more options for financing by the government for the creation of Metro rail infrastructure. This will go a long way in further boosting the growth of Metro rail,” he said.

“The phenomenal growth of the Metro sector in India has created safe, comfortable, affordable travel as well as mitigated pollution to a great extent but also provided an opportunity to global players for investment in the country. Many manufacturers including international brands have established manufacturing facilities and units here. The government has a ‘Make in India’ programme, in which indigenisation has been a key ingredient in the contract conditions which we stipulate for procurement of Metro rail systems across the country due to which more and more international firms are looking at these prospects,” he added.

Meanwhile, Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri has said that the government will go ahead with the phase four of the Delhi Metro project and rapid rail system which will be connecting the capital with Meerut.