Metro Rail Network in India

India now runs the world’s third-largest metro network. It started with a single 3.4 km stretch in Kolkata, in 1984.

MCQ Questions

IndEco0168

1,143 km World’s 3rd-Largest Metro Network

Operational as of March 2026, behind only China and the United States.

First in India

Kolkata, 1984

3.4 km, Esplanade to Bhowanipur — India’s very first metro line

Largest Network

Delhi Metro

Opened 2002, now India’s largest single-city metro system

Under Construction

~936 km

Additional metro lines being built across the country

Growth Since 2014

5 → 29 cities

Cities with metro service at some stage, from just 5 systems in 2014

Current-affairs anchor: on 10 July 2026, Tunnel Boring Machine “Durga” completed a key breakthrough on Kolkata Metro’s Purple Line, advancing the Joka-Esplanade Corridor — the same city where India’s metro story began, 42 years earlier.

⇩ Download as image

Indian Economymcqquestion.com

Must Know

• Kolkata Metro opened India’s first metro line on 24 October 1984, a 3.4 km stretch between Esplanade and Bhowanipur.
• Kolkata Metro is the only Indian metro network run by Indian Railways. Every other Indian metro is run by its own autonomous state or city authority.
• Delhi Metro’s first line opened in December 2002, under E. Sreedharan, its Managing Director. It has since grown into India’s largest single-city metro network.
• By March 2026, India had over 1,143 km of operational metro lines. That makes India the world’s third-largest metro network, behind only China and the United States.
• On 10 July 2026, Tunnel Boring Machine “Durga” completed a key tunnel breakthrough on Kolkata Metro’s Purple Line. The breakthrough came between Khidderpore and Victoria, advancing the Joka-Esplanade Corridor.

Good to Know

• The Purple Line’s Joka-Esplanade Corridor spans 18.84 km. Its elevated Joka-Majerhat stretch is already operational, while the underground Majerhat-Esplanade section is still under construction.
• Once complete, Esplanade will become Kolkata’s first three-line interchange station, connecting the Purple, Blue, and Green lines.
• Other major systems include Mumbai Metro, Namma Metro in Bengaluru, Chennai Metro, and Hyderabad Metro.
• Hyderabad Metro is the world’s largest metro project built as a public-private partnership. It now runs 69.2 km, making it India’s second-largest operational metro network after Delhi.
• India’s metro systems have grown from just 5 cities in 2014 to 29 cities today, at some stage of metro development. About 936 km of additional lines are currently under construction.

Test Yourself

Please wait…

1. Which city has India’s oldest metro network?

Delhi

Mumbai

Kolkata

Chennai

 Loading…

 

Great to Know

• The Metro Rail Policy, 2017, requires cities to prepare a Comprehensive Mobility Plan, and set up an Urban Metropolitan Transport Authority, before new metro projects get approved.
• The policy also pushes public-private partnerships in metro funding. Earlier systems, like Kolkata and Delhi, were built almost entirely with public money; newer expansions increasingly draw private capital too.
• India’s different city counts can be confusing. “29 cities” includes places at every stage, from fully operational lines to early planning — it doesn’t mean 29 cities already have running trains.