New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated several metro projects today, showcasing the government’s commitment to improving urban mobility and infrastructure across the country. The projects include Kolkata Metro’s Howrah Maidan – Esplanade, Kavi Subhash – Hemanta Mukhopadhyay, and Taratala – Majerhat sections, part of the Joka-Esplanade line. Additionally, Pune Metro’s Ruby Hall Clinic to Ramwadi stretch, Kochi Metro Rail Phase I Extension project (Phase IB), Agra Metro’s Taj East Gate to Mankameshwar stretch, and the Duhai-Modinagar (North) section of the Delhi-Meerut RRTS Corridor were inaugurated.
The Prime Minister, via video conference, flagged off train services on these newly inaugurated metro sections and laid the foundation stone for extending the Pune Metro Rail project Phase 1 between Pimpri Chinchwad Metro-Nigdi.
During the inauguration, Prime Minister Modi took a metro ride on the Esplanade – Howrah Maidan route, which is India’s first Underwater Metro in Kolkata. He interacted with workers and school children during his metro journey, emphasizing the importance of these projects for urban mobility and connectivity.
While the Prime Minister inaugurated the projects from Kolkata, Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of Housing & Urban Affairs, and Petroleum & Natural Gas, along with Shri V.K. Singh, Minister of State for Road Transport & Highways and Civil Aviation, attended the inauguration of the 17km long section of the Delhi-Meerut RRTS corridor from Duhai to Modi Nagar North at Muradnagar, Uttar Pradesh.
Minister Puri highlighted the significant transformation in India’s infrastructure, especially in the urban transport sector, under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi. He noted that before 2014, urban infrastructure was often neglected, but the current government views cities as opportunities for development. Minister Puri stated, “From just 248 km of operational metro lines in 2014, we have expanded India’s modern metro systems to 939 km after today’s inauguration. More than three-quarters of India’s current metro rail network has been operated in less than ten years.”
He also mentioned that the success of these projects is evident in the fact that the daily ridership of metro systems has crossed 1 crore. Aligning with the Prime Minister’s ‘Gati Shakti vision,’ the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) is being integrated with all public transport systems for seamless connectivity.