India's metro boom: From one city to a network set to overtake the US

In 1984, India had exactly one metro line, in Kolkata. Today, the network spans 26 cities and is just 216 km short of surpassing the US to become the world’s second-longest metro network.From one line to a national network, India’s metro story has travelled a long way, and much of that journey has happened in little more than a decade.The latest milestone came in Indore. After inaugurating an extended metro service on September 5, Union housing and urban affairs minister Manohar Lal Khattar said India’s operational metro network had reached 1,170 km across 26 cities, compared with 1,386 km in the US.“I think in the next two years, we will overtake the US and become the world’s second-largest country in terms of metro rail network after China,” he said.China, at around 8,000 km, remains far ahead.The numbers are striking, but the real story is how India went from having metro…