An Indian Minister has claimed that the country's metro rail network will surpass the US in next three to four years.

Tokhan Sahu told ANI news agency: "In the coming 3-4 years, our metro network will surpass that of the US and become the second largest in the world in terms of length."

"China’s metro network is extensive, given their population, area, and urban infrastructure, with a total length exceeding 8,000 kilometres," he said.

“In 2014, our metro network spanned only 248 kilometres across 5 cities. Over the past decade, 750 kilometres of metro lines have been added, bringing the total to 973 kilometres in 23 cities,” Sahu told the news agency.

India currently stands in the third spot in the list of nations with the largest metro network.