India on a Metro Ride: Four new cities to come onboard soon; Ongoing projects list here

India is taking rapid strides in constructing metro rail across the length and breadth of the country. This is in sync with the challenges brought to the fore by rapid urbanization. This is mounted pressure on the public transport system from the people living in cities and towns across the country. Public transport infrastructure is also an important indicator of progress in the global economy where growth opportunities are linked to the mobility of people, goods and information. 

Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs says that as many as four new cities may have metro rail connectivity in the near future. Approximately 60 kilometre of metro lines are likely to be opened in the next one month in the cities of Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Nagpur and Ghaziabad. 

With the expansion of Metros in the cities, intercity travel for people will become easier, time savvy and fit into common man's budget. 

Delhi Metro project had a modest beginning with 8 km in 2002. It currently has 585 kilometre of Metro lines operational in the country. Outside Delhi, modern metro rail has shown phenomenal growth. 

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"There are about 600 km of sanctioned metro lines under construction which will be operational in next five years. Metro Projects have not only added to connectivity, it has reduced the travel time and hence enhanced the ease of living substantially in the urban areas," the minister says in an official statement. 

At present, 12 cities in the country have functional metro rail networks. These are: Kolkata, Delhi and NCR, Noida-Greater Noida, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Gurgaon, Mumbai, Kochi and Lucknow. 

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The first metro service had started in India in Kolkata in 1984. 

As many as 14 metro projects of 622 kilometre are under construction in the country. These are: Delhi and NCR including extensions (23 km), Kolkata (108 km), Bangalore (72 km), Chennai (10 km), Kochi (7.5 km), Jaipur (2.5 km), Mumbai (171 km), Hyderabad (26 km), Nagpur (38 km), Ahmadabad (36 km), Lucknow (14 km), Pune (54 km), Bhopal (28 km) and Indore (32 km).