Metro Rail Infrastructure

Cost-effective urban mobility, particularly in public transport systems, is an essential part of sustainable urban infrastructure development. Metro rail is a faster, efficient, and environment-friendly mode of public transport for cities with high population density. With increased focus, metro rail projects have seen a significant traction in India over the last decade. The metro network in India has sharply expanded over the last decade from about 116 km of operational and under implementation network in 2006 to about 860 km of operational metro rail network in 20 cities as of April 2023. Over the years, India's metro rail network has grown handsomely to figure amongst the top ten largest metro networks in the world. However, this is still modest in comparison to some large countries like China which has a ~4,000-km long metro rail network. The large urban population with many cities with over a million population provides tremendous potential for expansion of the metro network in India. The operational metro network is expected to increase at a faster pace with multiple new metro rail projects approved/under implementation and an even larger network of over 1,000 km under implementation/proposal stage. Apart from the operational and under-implementation metro projects, 15 cities have plans for metro development, which has the potential of over 1,400 km of metro rail network.

While the metro rail system is emerging as a dependable and cost-effective mobility solution for the masses, last mile connectivity is often seen as a challenge in achieving optimal ridership in metro rails. The Metro Rail Policy, 2017 had stipulated that every proposal for Metro Rail should necessarily include proposals for feeder systems that help enlarge the catchment area of each metro station at least to 5 km.

While metro is a cleaner solution for urban mobility, development of metro rail infrastructure is highly capital intensive, which acts as a constraint in enhancing metro network at a faster pace. The cost of construction of metro projects is estimated to range between Rs. 90-120 crore per km for at-grade metro, while it is significantly higher for elevated metro and underground metro (Rs 200-1,000 cr/km) projects. Given this, metro may not be economically viable for smaller cities. The government has proposed alternative options in the form of Metro Lite, and Metro Neo (tyred metro) which can be constructed at a lower cost; however, their success remains monitorable. For effective utilization of this eco-friendly mobility solution, feeder connectivity to the metro rail network is crucial.