How long is India's operational metro rail network?

History

PIB prints "over 1,155 km" for 2026 and does not say whether the Delhi–Meerut RRTS is included. An earlier PIB count of about 1,095 km did include 55 km of RRTS.

The figures side by side

How we got this number

1. Read the length from the PIB factsheet "India's Infrastructure Transformation", posted 12 August 2026: metro network of over 1,155 km in 2026, against 248 km in 2014, in 26 cities.
2. Compare it with two earlier PIB statements: 1,090 km in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs year-end review of 29 December 2025, and about 1,095 km in the PIB backgrounder of 15 March 2026.
3. Read daily ridership from the same factsheet: it crossed 1.15 crore passengers.

What this number does not tell you

• The factsheet says "over 1,155 km" and gives no "as on" date, so the period is the date of the factsheet. The number is a floor, not an exact count.
• The March 2026 backgrounder counts 55 km of the Delhi–Meerut RRTS inside its 1,095 km. The August factsheet does not say how it counts RRTS, so the three points may not be on exactly the same basis.
• A higher figure was given by a minister at a conference in late October 2026 and appeared in press reports. We did not use it because we could not read an official text of it.
• Daily ridership is given only as "crossed 1.15 crore", a rounded floor, not a measured day.

Sources

1. PIB factsheet, India's Infrastructure Transformation: From Connectivity to Capacity, 12 August 2026Metro network expanded from 248 km in 2014 to over 1,155 km in 2026. Cities with metro connectivity increased from 5 to 26, while daily ridership crossed 1.15 crore passengers
2. PIB Backgrounder, Metro Rail: A Catalyst for Sustainable Urban Growth and Financial Resilience, 15 March 2026Operational Scale: About 1,095 km of metro rail lines (including 55 km of the Delhi–Meerut RRTS) are now functional across 26 cities
3. Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (PIB), Year End Review 2025, 29 December 2025During the current financial year, the operational metro network in the country has surpassed the historic 1,000-km milestone (1,090 km).

Questions people ask

In how many Indian cities does the metro run?

26 cities, up from 5 in 2014, according to the PIB factsheet of 12 August 2026.

How many people ride the metro each day?

The PIB factsheet says daily ridership crossed 1.15 crore passengers.

How long was the metro network in 2014?

248 km, according to the same PIB factsheet.

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This is a best guess, not an official statistic. We recheck it quarterly. If you have a newer or better source, send it to us.