To address transportation infrastructure, a major challenge of rapid and often unbridled urbanization, the central government announced the expansion of metro and rapid rail systems in major cities. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the scope of our middle class is increasing very fast. Metro Rail and NaMo India can become key drivers for the necessary urban transformation.
To address transport infrastructure, a fundamental obstacle of rapid and often uncontrollable urbanization, the central government has announced the building of metro and rapid train systems in major cities. Namo Bharat, the rapid train project, has begun with a 17-kilometer priority stretch of the Ghaziabad-Meerut line, but signs are that its scope may increase, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi previously stated.
While inaugurating the RRTS between Ghaziabad and Duhai, the Prime Minister stated that this is only the beginning. Since his announcement, work on two more key routes, Delhi-Panipat and Delhi-Alwar, has gathered traction, while work on Delhi-Meerut is expected to be finished within the next two months.
Did Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman say anything?
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the scope of our middle class is increasing very rapidly and rapid urbanization is taking place. Metro Rail and NaMo India can become key drivers for the necessary urban transformation. The government’s view is that such projects also provide a vehicle for greater economic growth as they provide opportunities for transit-based development. Sitharaman said Union Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Puri had recently said that one crore people travel by metro every day in the country.
The metro system in 20 cities has an operational length of 895 km. Work is under underway on a 986-kilometer metro network, which will position the country second in terms of the world’s longest metro network when completed. Work on the Gurugram and Chandigarh metro projects is set to begin before the general elections. The formation of the company has been finalized in both locations. To strengthen urban transportation infrastructure, the Central Government will launch a program to provide 10,000 PM e-buses in 169 cities.
