Urban Transport

India’s Metro Revolution

• India’s metro network expanded from 248 km (2014) to 1013 Km (2025) across 23 cities with 2.5 lakh crore invested over 2000 coaches manufactured, domestically under MAKE IN INDIA. This growth makes India the world’s third-largest metro network. The pace of commissioning new metro lines has accelerated ninefold.

KEY POLICIES –

• Metro Rail Policy 2017 :
• This policy requires cities to create Comprehensive Mobility Plans (CMPs) and establishes Urban Metropolitan Transport Authorities (UMTAs).
• For central funding, projects must have a minimum Economic Internal Rate of Return (EIRR) of 14% and include private sector participation.
• Make in India: This initiative mandates that at least 75% of metro cars and 25% of key equipment be procured domestically.

Green & technological innovations:

• Solar-powered stations, Regenerative braking. driverless trains, i-ATS (Indigenous Automatic Train Supervision System), QR based ticketing, ETCS (European Train Control System) signaling.

Notable Projects: –

• First under water metro (Kolkata)
• Water Metro (Kochi)
• Namo Bharat high-speed train

Future Plans:-

• Expansions in Delhi, Pune, Bangalore, Ahmedabad and water Metro services in 24 cities.

Significance:

• Enhances urban mobility, reduces congestion, boots sustainability, aligns with India’s $7.3 trillion GDP vision by 2030.