Why Indians are shunning the country’s shiny new metro lines
Costly fares, inconvenience and poor planning all play a role.
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Fixing the problem is crucial not only from an economic perspective, but also an environmental one, says the writer.
PHOTO: AFP
The Economist
When Mr Narendra Modi became India’s prime minister in 2014, the country’s entire metro-rail network spanned 229km in 4½ cities: Bangalore, Delhi, Gurgaon (a satellite of Delhi), Kolkata and Mumbai. That amounted to less than half the length of Shanghai’s metro at the time. Yet Mr Modi’s government has since presided over a massive metro-rail expansion. By last April, India’s network covered 870km in 18 cities.
Another 1,000km or so of metro track is under construction in 27 cities. Just under 6km of new track is being commissioned every month. Navi Mumbai, a satellite of Mumbai, became the latest city to boast a metro when its first line opened in November.