Tricity Metro: Chandigarh Administration Collaborates With Haryana And Punjab To Move Forward With The Metro Rail Project

The Chandigarh administration decided on Wednesday (5 July) to involve all stakeholders — including Punjab and Haryana — in the preparation of the alternative analysis report (AAR) and detailed project report (DPR) for the metro rail project.

Under the chairmanship of union territory adviser Dharam Pal, a meeting was held to discuss the next steps for the comprehensive mobility plan (CMP) for the Tricity — Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula.

This development follows the approval given to the long-awaited Tricity metro project by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), in June.

Rail India Technical and Economic Service (RITES) has already prepared a CMP for the Tricity area — which includes the approved metro project along with bus corridors that criss-cross through the region.

During the presentation on Wednesday (5 July), RITES shared the guidelines, procedures, and policies for planning the mass rapid transit system (MRTS) in alignment with the metro rail policy issued by the MoHUA.

Following the discussions, the officials expressed the need to prepare the AAR and DPR. Once approved by Unified Metro Transportation Authority (UMTA)/state government, these reports will be submitted to the centre for further approval.

“Therefore, it was decided that the meeting of UMTA may be convened at the earliest for engagement of agency for preparation of AAR & DPR,” reports Indian Express.

The AAR will determine the best alternative mode to meet the transportation demand on major travel corridors — including Metro, Metrolite, or MetroNeo.

The DPR, which will be prepared for approval by the Government of India, will include cost estimates, financials, design, institutional arrangement, planning, and implementation plan for the recommended MRTS mode.

The Tricity Metro Proposal

Clearing the way for a metro network in the Tricity after over a decade, Chandigarh, Haryana and Punjab accorded in-principle approval for the CMP, in April this year.

The MRTS is expected to cost over Rs 10,570 crore and will also include bus terminals, depots and improvements at busy intersections.

Chandigarh, Mohali, Panchkula, Zirakpur, New Chandigarh and Pinjore will be covered by the final metro network, which will be developed in two phases.

In the first phase — scheduled to be developed between 2027 and 2037 — the MRTS will run from Sarangpur to Panchkula inter-state bus terminal (ISBT), Rock Garden to Zirakpur ISBT via Mohali Industrial Area and airport, and from Grain Market Chowk, sector-39, to Transport Nagar, sector-26.

The second phase — which will be developed after 2037 — will cover four routes: Panchkula ISBT to Panchkula Extension; Paraul, New Chandigarh to Sarangpur; Airport Chowk to Manakpur Kallar; and Zirakpur ISBT to Pinjore ISBT.