Technology

India Metro Rail Timeline 2026: Network & Ridership Data

As of July 2026, India's operational metro and RRTS network reached 1,159 km across 26 cities, per the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs - up from 248 km i…

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KOLKATA'S FIRST 1984

Kolkata Metro Opens - India's First

Kolkata Metro began commercial service on October 24, 1984, between Esplanade and Bhowanipore - South Asia's first underground rapid-transit railway, eighteen years befo…

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DELHI SETS THE TEMPLATE

Delhi Metro Opens, Becomes the National Reference

Delhi Metro's first Red Line section opened December 24, 2002, under DMRC's strict project-management discipline - becoming the template nearly every later Indian metro…

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BENGALURU JOINS 2011

Namma Metro Begins in Bengaluru

Namma Metro opened its first stretch on October 20, 2011 - the start of a network that, 15 years on, is still working toward covering the city's tech corridor and airpor…

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THE 248 KM BASELINE

India's Metro Network: 248 km, 5 Cities

By 2014, India's entire operational metro network stood at roughly 248 km across five cities, with annual central budget support of Rs 5,798 crore - the fixed baseline e…

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POLICY PIVOTS TO RIDERSHIP

Metro Rail Policy Shifts Focus to Ridership and TOD

MoHUA's 2017 Metro Rail Policy made Transit-Oriented Development, feeder planning and ridership appraisal mandatory for new approvals - a deliberate pivot from 'build th…

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DRIVERLESS DEBUT

Delhi's Magenta Line Goes Driverless

On December 28, 2020, Delhi Metro's Magenta Line became India's first fully automated, driverless corridor under Unattended Train Operation - though not every Delhi Metr…

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UNDER THE HOOGHLY

India's First Underwater Metro Opens in Kolkata

On March 6, 2024, PM Modi inaugurated the East-West Metro's Esplanade-Howrah Maidan stretch, including a 520-metre twin-tunnel section 37 metres beneath the Hooghly Rive…

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NAMO BHARAT COMPLETE

Full Delhi-Meerut Namo Bharat Corridor Opens

The complete 82 km Delhi-Meerut RRTS corridor, plus the Meerut Metro's shared section, opened for commercial service on February 22, 2026 - India's first fully operation…

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1,159 KM / 26 CITIES

MoHUA Reports 1,159 km Network to Parliament

MoHUA's Monsoon Session submission put India's operational metro+RRTS network at 1,159 km across 26 cities, with ~886 km under construction and Rs 30,942 crore earmarked…

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