Exclusive: 1,700 km metro rail in 25 cities by 2025, minister says

23 Feb 2021 Editorial Team

Indian cities have become hubs of economic productivity, infrastructure, culture and diversity. They have become the key drivers of economic growth and there is a need to sustainably and inclusively expand them. Given that cities are witnessing an exponential increase in the use of personal motor vehicles, resulting in severe traffic congestion and pollution.

Speaking on Monday, February 22, at “Metro Vision”, the first in the webinar series Infra-Nirbhar, organised jointly by Construction World and Swarajya magazines, Puri said, “Efforts need to be put in to remedy this situation. There is a need to focus on improving our public transport system including the metro rail system in the most efficient and sustainable ways,” observes Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs of India.

Puri highlights that till 2014 only about 248 km of the Metro network was operational in five cities. With a consistent push by the government, the metro network has expanded by more than 469 km, and a total of 717 km Metro is operational in 18 cities today and we envision developing the metro system in 50 cities in the years to come.

The interaction with Hardeep Singh Puri includes details of the metro sector in India, the two new systems, Metro Lite and Metro Neo, status of implementation of Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority and Make in India incentives for the metro sector.

Click here for full Q&A.

Click here for video and full coverage.

Technology

29 Jul 2026

AI-Enabled Workflows Lift Profitability and Productivity

Organisations modernising frontline workflows with artificial intelligence, automation and real-time data are reporting stronger financial performance, higher productivity and improved employee engagement, according to a global study by Zebra Technologies and Oxford Economics.The research covered 1,000 senior leaders across retail, manufacturing, transportation and logistics in the US, Mexico, the UK, Germany, India, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.In transportation and logistics, 54 per cent of companies that improved picking and packing operations reported faster operational performance, wh..

India Leads Global AI Readiness but Implementation Lags

Indian companies lead global averages across all eight artificial intelligence readiness indicators tracked by JLL, but only 19 per cent have started making changes to their workplaces, according to the JLL 2026 Future of Work Survey.The study found that 77 per cent of Indian business leaders expect AI to change their office requirements, creating a 58-percentage-point gap between awareness and implementation. The survey covered more than 2,200 CEOs, CFOs and real estate leaders across 21 countries during the first quarter of 2026.Despite concerns over automation, 58 per cent of Indian leaders..

Three WOLFF Cranes Build Riyadh Cable-Stayed Bridges

Three WOLFF 180 B luffing jib cranes are supporting the construction of two cable-stayed bridges alongside the existing Wadi Laban Bridge in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The project is being developed for the Royal Commission for Riyadh City and executed by the ICRC joint venture comprising IC Ictas and Al Rashid Trading & Contracting Company.The cranes are handling lifting operations including formwork, reinforcement, concrete placement, work platforms, surveying equipment and other construction materials. Each crane is fitted with a 40 m jib, reaches a hook height of 157 m and offers a maximum ..