The Delhi Metro is the world’s first railway network to earn carbon points from the United Nations for cutting down on greenhouse gas emissions.
The train system has helped reduce pollution levels in the Indian city by 630,000 tonnes a year, said the UN.
It also added that if the Metro was non-existent, the 1.8 million people who use it on a daily basis would be travelling by car, bus or motorbike, which would add to pollution.
The Metro now gets £85m (£6.1m) in carbon credits for consecutive seven years and as the number of passengers increase, so will this figure.
Carbon credits are created by a scheme called the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), run by the UN.
The plan gives firms in under-developed countries incentives to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
“The United Nations body administering the clean development mechanism under the Kyoto Protocol has certified that Delhi Metro has reduced emissions,” the UN statement said.
“No other Metro in the world could get the carbon credit for the above because of the very stringent requirement to provide conclusive documentary proof of reduction in emissions.”
