Operational metro network in India to rise steadily to over 900 km by 2022: Puri

Nearly 740 km of metro lines are operational currently in various cities in India and the network span is steadily scheduled to rise to over 900 km by 2022, Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Saturday.

He was speaking after inaugurating the 1.2-km Najafgarh-Dhansa Bus Stand corridor, an extension of the Grey Line of the Delhi Metro, via a video conference link.

''We are going to cross major milestones. Nearly 740 km or so of metro lines are operational in various cities in India, and the network span is 'steadily scheduled to rise', and we have various steps planned out throughout the country. So, it will be over 900 km, I think by 2022,'' he said, adding that 900 km of operational metro network will be an achievement in itself.

Besides, another 1,000 km metro lines are under construction in various cities in India, so the total span will be close to 2,000 km in coming years, he said.

Puri lauded the Delhi Metro for its various accomplishments despite the COVID-19 pandemic and expressed hope in the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Limited (DMRC) that under the leadership of its chief Mangu Singh, its ridership can be ''ramped back to 65 lakh a day'' as was before the Covid pandemic, or perhaps even higher, taking into account other factors.

The overall ridership in metros across the country was 85 lakh in pre-Covid time, he said.

With the inauguration of the extension of the Grey Line, which has taken the metro further into the interior areas of Najafgarh in outer and semi-urban areas, the DMRC span has now increased to nearly 392 km with 286 stations (including the Noida–Greater Noida Metro Corridor and Rapid Metro, Gurgaon) The Union minister said the Delhi Metro is a ''trailblazer transportation system'' in the country and the work on expanding the metro lines was ''literally just a start'', and with the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) and other projects ''we are poised to take it to a much higher level'' in the coming years.

Delhi will also become one of the most beautiful cities in the world, he said.

Puri inaugurated the corridor along with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and thanked him for his government's cooperation, and also urged him to continue his cooperation for the remaining planned corridors of the DMRC network.

Under the Delhi Metro's Phase-IV, 65.10 km of new metro lines shall be constructed across three priority corridors comprising 46 metro stations. These new sections shall provide interconnectivity among the already operational sections of the Delhi Metro.

The Mukundpur-Maujpur, R K Ashram-Janakpuri West, and Aerocity-Tughlakabad corridors were approved by the Union Cabinet in March 2019.

The other three proposed corridors of Phase-IV, which have not yet been approved by the government are Rithala-Bawana-Narela, Inderlok-Indraprastha, and Lajpat Nagar-Saket G Block.

''Arvind ji, you often talk about London and Paris in the context of making Delhi of such a (world-class) standard. I have lived in London and New York. And, Delhi has a potential and with good urban mobility and other schemes that we have we can really take it forward,'' Puri said.

The Union minister emphasized on the importance of urban transportation, but also underlined that a lot of areas in the country have undergone ''autonomous urbanization''.

''Efficient urban transport system makes it possible for people to buy a property or have a residence at a distance and commute, impacts land valuation and urban planning, and benefits urban policies,'' he added.

Ambassador of Japan to India, Satoshi Suzuki, who joined over a video link from the Embassy, said the Delhi Metro is a ''shining example'' of the bilateral cooperation between the two countries.

Secretary, Housing and Urban Affairs, Durga Shankar Mishra said about 1,050 km of metro lines were under construction in 27 cities.

After Magenta Line, the driverless system will be operationalized on Pink Line too that will make it the longest driverless system stretch in the world at 110 km, combining the two corridors.

Mishra also said that soon Indigenous Automatic Train Supervision System will be introduced on the Red Line in line with the vision of 'Atmanirbhar Bharat'.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)