Urban rail transit in India

Urban rail transit in India plays an important role in intracity transportation in the major cities which are highly populated. It consists of Regional Rapid Transit System, suburban rail, monorail, and tram systems.

According to a report published in 2021, a total of 2.63 billion people traveled annually in metro systems across India's fifteen major cities, placing the country as one of the busiest urban rapid transit hubs in the world in terms of commuters. As of 2024, the cumulative length of 943.6 kilometres (586.3 miles) of seventeen metro systems in India makes it the third longest in operation in the world.^[1]

The Ministry of Urban Development's Urban Transport wing is the nodal division for coordination, appraisal, and approval of Urban Transport matters including Metro Rail Projects at the central level. All the interventions in urban transport by the Ministry of Urban Development are carried out as per the provisions of the National Urban Transport Policy, 2006.^[2]

The Delhi Meerut RRTS is the fastest Urban Transit system in India currently that can run at a operational speed of 160 kmph with average speed(including stoppage time) of 100 kmph.