As per the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs, India has expanded its metro rail network in 26 cities to 1,155 kilometres by July 2026. This incredible growth represents a whopping 365% increase from just 248 km serving 5 cities back in 2014. This dramatic shift is a testimony to the Smart Cities Mission’s bold step towards modern urban mobility with ambitious infrastructure investments and urban development initiatives.
The expansion was a very well-thought-out strategy. From 2014 to 2026, the metro projects expanded tremendously. Earlier there were only five metros – Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai. There are 26 systems in operation or under construction. Some of the new cities that have joined the metro construction journey are Pune, Nagpur, Lucknow, Kanpur, Ahmedabad, Indore and Jaipur.
More than 1.15 crore people use metros daily. This shows a trend towards mass transit, especially in Tier-2 cities, which are not served by rapid transit. This growth will improve urban mobility and connectivity, but the 1,155 km network across 26 cities averages just 44 km per city, not enough to make a significant difference.
There are ongoing problems with the project execution timelines. Older metros like Delhi, Bangalore and Hyderabad took more than 15 years to reach useful network density. Kanpur got approval for its metro in 2016, and the first line was inaugurated in 2023. The entire project took seven years to complete. Hence, cities that were accorded metro status in 2018-2020 will only have working systems in 2028-2030, a long way from the original deadline of 2020 for the Smart Cities Mission.Maharashtra, with its metros in Mumbai and Pune, dominates the national network in terms of length. Tamil Nadu’s metro (Chennai) remains limited in reach. Tier-1 states have captured disproportionate metro investment, while lower-income states still lack rapid transit systems entirely. This creates a regional disparity that the metro expansion narrative often glosses over. What is essential now is a focus on completion metrics rather than just expansion figures. With over 280 km of sanctioned metro projects across 15 cities, it is crucial to prioritise timely project closures rather than merely announcing new corridors.
