During a meeting on Tuesday (18 July), the governments of Punjab and Haryana, along with representatives from the Chandigarh administration, revised and approved the Metro network plan for the Tricity — Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula.

The length of the network for the first phase was increased from 66 kilometre to approximately 77 kilometre.

During the meeting, both the Punjab and Haryana governments suggested expanding Phase-1 of the Metro to include more areas.As a result, an additional 6-kilometre stretch from Paroul in New Chandigarh to Sarangpur, and a 5-kilometre stretch from Panchkula ISBT to Panchkula Extension in Sector-20, were approved to be included in Phase-1 of the project, reports Indian Express.

Earlier, only 66 kilometre were planned, but now major destinations in the city that were deemed necessary have been included.

The Chandigarh administration decided on 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 Tricity metro project.

In addition, the three administrations decided to assign RITES the task of compiling a DPR and an AAR for the Metro project.

A senior official from the union territory administration stated that most of the project will be above ground, but the final decision will be made during the preparation of the DPR.

The preparation of the detailed project report for the Metro project is estimated to cost around Rs 6.54 crore, according to the RITES. The report is expected to be completed by March 2024, after which further permissions will be sought to commence construction.

In terms of funding, it has been decided that the states will contribute 20 per cent of the project cost, the Centre will contribute 20 per cent, and the remaining 60 per cent will be financed by a lending agency.

The tentative overall cost of the project is estimated to be around Rs 10,570 crore.

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.

The first phase, scheduled for development between 2027 and 2037, will include three proposed routes, as per The Tribune report.

This will be from Paroul, Sarangpur, ISBT Panchkula to Panchkula Extension (30 km); Rock Garden to ISBT Zirakpur via Industrial Area and Chandigarh Airport (34 km); and Grain Market Chowk, Sector 39, to Transport Chowk, Sector 26 (13 km).

The second phase, set to commence after 2037, will see the construction of a Metro line from Airport Chowk to Manakpur Kallar (5 km) and ISBT Zirakpur to Pinjore (20 km).