Metro Rail Systems
Metro Rail Systems
Overview
A Metro Rail is an electric passenger railway system that is isolated from Indian Railways’ main-line network, designed for high-capacity, high-frequency urban transit. In India, Metros are governed by the Metro Railways (Construction of Works) Act, 1978 and the Metro Railways (Operation & Maintenance) Act, 2002, and come under the administrative umbrella of the Ministry of Railways (through RDSO & MoHUA).
Key Facts & Figures
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| 1. First Indian Metro | Kolkata Metro (24 Oct 1984, Dum-Dum ↔ Esplanade) |
| 2. Deepest Station | Hauz Khas (Delhi Metro – 29 m below ground) |
| 3. Longest Corridor (Ongoing) | Delhi Metro Pink Line (59 km) |
| 4. First Driver-less Metro | Delhi Metro Magenta & Pink Lines (Dec 2020) |
| 5. Highest Station | Jaiprakash Narayan (Mumbai Metro-1, 23 m above ground) |
| 6. First underwater stretch | East-West Kolkata Metro (under Hooghly, 2023) |
| 7. Widest rolling-stock | 3.2 m (Namma Metro, 750 mm) |
| 8. Standard track gauge | 1,435 mm (except Kolkata Metro 1,676 mm) |
| 9. Max. design speed | 95 km/h (Delhi, Mumbai & Lucknow Metros) |
| 10. Power supply | 750 V DC 3rd rail (old Kolkata), 25 kV 50 Hz OHE (all new) |
| 11. First PPP Metro | Mumbai Metro Line-1 (Reliance-2008) |
| 12. First Metro with CBTC | Delhi Airport Express (2011) |
| 13. Green rating platinum | Delhi Metro (first rail-based system in world, 2021) |
| 14. Total operational KM (Dec 2025) | ≈ 1,050 km in 20 cities |
| 15. Highest daily ridership | Delhi Metro (71 lakh, 2024) |
| 16. Nodal implementing agency | DMRC (Delhi Metro Rail Corporation) |
| 17. Indigenous trainset make | BEML, Alstom, Bombardier-India, Medha |
| 18. QR-based ticketing pioneer | Chennai Metro (2019) |
| 19. First metro with platform screen doors | Delhi Metro (Yellow Line, 2015) |
| 20. National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) launched | Delhi & Bengaluru (2023) |
Important Points (Quick-Revision Bullets)
- Metro projects are declared as “projects of national importance” under the Metro Railways Act, 2002.
- 750 V DC 3rd-rail technology is being phased out; all new corridors adopt 25 kV AC OHE.
- CBTC (Communication-Based Train Control) = driver-less/UTO (Un-attended Train Operation) signalling.
- DMRC is the “consultant” for almost every new Indian metro (Kochi, Lucknow, Jaipur, Pune, etc.).
- Only Kolkata Metro is directly owned by Indian Railways; all others are 50:50 JV of GoI & State.
- Metro Neo & Metro Lite are low-cost derivatives (rubber-tyre/e-bus & light-rail) approved by MoHUA.
- Station spacing: 0.8–1.5 km (core city), 2–3 km (peripheral).
- Feeder e-bus, e-rick & last-mile e-bike services are mandatory for every new metro city.
- Real-estate “transit-oriented development (TOD)” policy allows 4 FAR along 500 m belt.
- All metro depots must provide rainwater harvesting & 100 % LED lighting (Green Metro Policy 2017).
- National Metro Rail Knowledge Centre (NMRKC) set up at DMRC Hyderabad campus (2022).
- Pink & Yellow lines of Delhi Metro form the largest loop (69 km) in Asia.
- Mumbai Metro Line-3 (Aqua Line) is India’s first fully underground line in a coastal city.
- Automatic fare-collection (AFC) gates must accept NCMC (Rupay) & QR tickets (Metro Policy 2022).
- Rs. 100 cr/km is the present average cost for underground, Rs. 35 cr/km for elevated.
Frequently Asked in Exams
- First & oldest metro city – Kolkata (1984)
- Capital cost sharing formula – 50 % Centre : 50 % State (20 % for NE & hilly)
- Maximum permissible gradient – 4 % (100 m radius) inside tunnel; 6 % in depot
- Regulatory safety body – Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) – Metro wing
- Carbon credit earned – Delhi Metro earned 19.5 lakh CERs (UNFCCC) till 2024
BETA
