The urban transport sector has made significant progress over the past year. Currently, over 940 km of metro rail and regional rapid transit system (RRTS) network is operational in the country. The rapid expansion of the metro rail system, introduction of new transit networks and integration of cutting-edge technologies have transformed urban transportation.
Indian Infrastructure looks at the key developments in the sector over the past one year…
Budget announcement
The Union Budget 2024-25 has allocated Rs 249.32 billion for various metro rail and mass rapid transit system projects, an increase of 7.91 per cent over 2023-24 (revised estimate). This includes an outlay of Rs 35.96 billion for RRTS projects of the National Capital Region Transport Corporation.
Update on key projects
- Several key metro projects were completed during the past year. These include the Jama Masjid (Mankameshwar Mandir)-Taj East Gate stretch (6 km) of the Agra Metro Phase I Project, the Ruby Hall Clinic-Ramwadi stretch (6 km) of the Pune Metro Phase I Project, and the Kavi Subhas-Hemanta Mukhopadhyay stretch (5.4 km) under the Airport-Kavi Subhas (New Garia) corridor of the Kolkata Metro Expansion Project. Further, the Sahibabad-Modinagar North stretch (34 km) of the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS has become operational and viaduct work on another 18 km section between Shatabdi Nagar and Brahmpuri has been completed. Commercial operations have also commenced on the 11.1 km Navi Mumbai Metro network from Belapur to Pendhar.
- Foundation stones were laid for various projects, including the Trishulia-Bhubaneswar Airport Metro, HUDA City Centre-Cyber City Metro, and Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation-Nigdi Metro.
- The union cabinet approved Corridors 2 (Inderlok-Indraprastha) and 6 (Lajpat Nagar-Saket G Block) of the Delhi Metro Phase IV Project in March 2024. Both corridors will entail a total investment of about Rs 83.99 billion, which is likely to be jointly funded by the central government, the government Delhi and funding agencies. The Public Investment Board has also approved the construction of the Rithala-Narela-Kundli metro line. The corridor will be constructed at a cost of Rs 62.31 billion, including Rs 56.85 billion for the Delhi portion and Rs 5.45 billion for the Haryana portion. Additionally, two corridors have been proposed under the Bareilly Light Metro Project (12 km – Fun City to Bareilly Junction Railway Station; and 50 km – Fun City to Chowki Chowraha).
Progress on key segments
- Signalling, train control and telecommunications: The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and Bharat Electronics Limited signed an MoU to develop an indigenous communication-based train control (CBTC) system in September 2023. Kolkata Metro is also set to install the CBTC signalling system on its network. Alstom has signed a contract with Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited to develop and implement advanced CBTC systems for the Bengaluru Metro. The Commissioner of Railway Safety has approved the installation of an electronic interlocking-based signalling system for Kolkata Metro, covering the sections from Kavi Subhash station to Hemanta Mukhopadhyay station and from Joka Station to Majerhat station. The European Train Control System Level II and the Hybrid Level III radio-based train signalling system over an long-term evolution (LTE) backbone, have been introduced on Namo Bharat trains.
- Rolling stock: In August 2024, a trial run was conducted for the Vande Metro train set between Villivakkam and Walajah Road, Chennai. Manufactured at the Integral Coach Factory, the new metro train set has 12 coaches and is fully air-conditioned. It can run up to 110 km per hour and is designed for inter-city travel of 150-200 km. Alstom Transport India has commenced production of driverless metro train sets for the Chennai Metro at its manufacturing facility in Sri City, Andhra Pradesh. Moreover, the first driverless train set of six coaches arrived at the Hebbagodi depot in Electronic City, Bengaluru, in February 2024. In June 2024, the Research Design and Standards Organisation completed trials of rolling stock for Mumbai Metro Line 3. The trial runs were conducted at a maximum speed of 95 kmph with both empty and loaded rakes. In August 2023, BEML Limited signed an agreement with Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited for the design, manufacture, supply, installation, testing and commissioning of 318 standard gauge metro cars.
- Fare collection and advancements: The beta version of the Delhi Metro Rail QR code-based ticketing system was introduced in July 2024. This feature allows main line railway passengers to book tickets through the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation website and its Android. DMRC also integrated its ticketing service with the “One Delhi” mobile application in January 2024. In the Kolkata Metro, a UPI-based ticketing system has been introduced at all automatic smart card recharge machines in every station along the North-South corridor. Meanwhile, the Kochi Metro has joined the Open Network for Digital Commerce, allowing passengers to purchase tickets through apps such as Yatri, Paytm, Rapido, redBus and PhonePe.
