India, Sept. 6 -- India's metro rail network may overtake the United States within the next two years, Union Minister for Power and Housing & Urban Affairs Manohar Lal said after inaugurating the extended metro service in Indore. With the latest expansion, India's metro network has reached 1,170 km across 26 cities, leaving it around 216 km behind the US network of approximately 1,386 km.

The minister said India could become the world's second-largest country in metro rail network length after China if the current pace of expansion continues. China currently has around 8,000 km of metro rail lines. India's urban transport infrastructure has expanded significantly over the past decade, with metro services operating across just 245 km in ...