Chandigarh: Tricity Metro Faces Further Delays As New Committee To Assess Financial Feasibility

Two months after requesting a similar analysis for cities of a similar size, the Chandigarh administrator has now established a committee to assess the financial and economic feasibility of the Tricity metro.

The metro project aims to connect Chandigarh, Mohali, and Panchkula.

The committee will work with Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES) to complete its assessment within two months, springing further delays on the project.

In a previous meeting of the UT Administrator’s Advisory Council (AAC), former MP Kirron Kher, a long-standing critic of the project since 2014, reiterated her concerns, arguing that the metro project would severely impact the city.

“The project is not financially viable and will result in the entire city being dug up,” she said.

Conversely, MP Manish Tewari expressed frustration over the delay, supporting the project as a progressive initiative that would benefit both the city and neighbouring areas, as per a Hindustan Times report.

The committee’s task includes evaluating the overall feasibility of a metro system for the city, drawing insights from Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) reports on similar projects.

It will collaborate with RITES Limited to conduct a thorough analysis, assessing the metro's financial viability for Chandigarh, also considering alternative transport options to reduce city traffic congestion.

The Tricity Metro Proposal

The planned metro network will extend to Chandigarh, Mohali, Panchkula, Zirakpur, New Chandigarh, and Pinjore and will be developed in two phases.

Initially set to cover 79.5 km, the project was expanded to 85.65 km, with an additional 6.15 km, as suggested in the draft Alternative Analysis Report (AAR) prepared by RITES.

Further, according to the AAR, a two-coach metro rail system was deemed the most suitable option for the Tricity region.

The project is estimated to cost Rs 10,570 crore, with funding contributions divided among the two states, Haryana and Punjab (20 per cent each), the central government (20 per cent), and a lending agency (60 per cent).