Corridor along Madhya Marg to be fully elevated, others to be partly underground, as per RITES alignment option report; work expected to begin in April

The 114-km Metro network proposed across the tricity will mostly feature elevated tracks and stations, as per the alignment option report readied by Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES).

The 114-km Metro network proposed across the tricity will mostly feature elevated tracks and stations, as per the alignment option report readied by Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES).

The report, which was submitted to the UT administration on Monday, has listed three corridors as part of Phase 1, criss-crossing through Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula.

Among them, the one along the Madhya Marg will be completely elevated, while the other two will be mostly elevated and partly underground.

With the alternative analysis report (AAR) and detailed project report (DPR) expected to be ready by January 2024, work on Phase 1 work may finally begin in April and be completed by 2034.

Running into a total of 89 km, the first phase includes three routes — Paraul (New Chandigarh)-Sarangpur-ISBT Panchkula to Panchkula Extension (34 km); Rock Garden to Zirakpur ISBT via Industrial Area and Airport (42 km); and from Grain Market Chowk, Sector 39, to Transport Chowk, Sector 26 (13 km).

As per the RITES report, most of the tracks and stations in the first two corridors will be elevated, while some parts will be underground. However, the third corridor, between Sector 26 and Sector 39, along Madhya Marg, will be fully elevated.

In Phase 2 of 25 km, which will be developed after 2034, Metro has been proposed on Airport Chowk to Manakpur Kallar (5 km) and ISBT Zirakpur to Pinjore (20 km), also with a mostly elevated network.

UT adviser Nitin Yadav said, “We have received the report. Within a week, we will be holding a meeting of the 23-member Unified Metro Transportation Authority (UMTA). We are expecting that the AAR and DPR will be ready by January next year and work on the ambitious project will begin in April.”

The overall tentative cost of the Metro project is around ₹11000 crore, of which 20% will be paid by Haryana and Punjab, 20% by the Centre and the remaining 60% by the lending agency.

In July this year, the Chandigarh administration had decided that it would take on board all stakeholders – Haryana and Punjab – in preparation of the AAR and DPR for Metro as per the guidelines of the central government.

The 23-member UMTA, which met on July 18, had approved the Tricity Metro project and decided to extend the scope of the project for Phase 1 from 66 km to 89 km.

Metro plan rejected by Centre previously

The Metro project was first proposed for Chandigarh in 2009 and a DPR was also prepared in 2012 after spending ₹1.5 crore. The first phase was to begin in 2013. But in 2014, member of Parliament (MP) Kirron Kher opposed it, stating that it will uproot the city, before it was ultimately rejected by the Home ministry in 2017.

After years in cold storage, the Metro plans were revived in August 2021, with the UT administration deciding to go in for a fresh comprehensive mobility plan by RITES.

With 14 lakh registered vehicles among a population of over 12 lakh, Chandigarh has the highest density of vehicles per household in the country, leading to traffic congestion and snarls. In addition to these, over two lakh vehicles on interstate routes cross the city daily.

The comprehensive mobility plan, allotted to RITES Limited in December last year, is aimed at resolving this burgeoning problem.