Check financial viability of Metro project: Chandigarh administrator Gulab Chand Kataria
The third meeting of the UMTA was convened to discuss the AAR and the ‘Geotechnical Investigations Report’ for the MRTS in Chandigarh tricity
In a move that may further delay the Tricity Metro project, UT administrator Gulab Chand Kataria has directed authorities to assess the financial and economic viability of Metro systems in similar-sized cities before proceeding with it.
Kataria said this while chairing a meeting of the 23-member Unified Metro Transportation Authority (UMTA) on Monday, held at the UT Secretariat in Sector 9, Chandigarh.
A committee will be formed to study Metro systems in other cities and submit a report at the next meeting, scheduled for next month.
In April this year, the Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES) had recommended two-coach Metro as the most viable alternative transport system for the tricity, in its Alternatives Analysis Report (AAR). Along with it, the Union ministry of housing and urban affairs (MoHUA) approved underground Metro for heritage sectors (1 to 30). The project’s estimated cost is around ₹24,000 crore.
According to the AAR report, work on the Phase-I corridor would be completed by 2032 with a mix of overhead and underground networks.
The meeting, chaired by the administrator, was also attended by Haryana chief secretary TVSN Prasad and Punjab chief secretary Anurag Verma, among various other officials.
This was the third meeting of the UMTA, convened to discuss the AAR and the ‘Geotechnical Investigations Report’ for the MRTS in Chandigarh tricity.
The UMTA is a unified platform designed to address overall mobility issues in Tricity and ensure coordination among various stakeholders and institutions for the implementation of this mobility plan to improve traffic conditions in the city.
Before the administrator could give his opinion during the meeting, a detailed presentation was first given on a Metro train network spanning approximately 154.5 km in two phases for the Chandigarh Tricity.
Under Phase-I, which is proposed to be completed by 2032, a stretch of 85.65 km has been planned, comprising both overhead and underground routes in Chandigarh Tricity, with 16.5 km of underground route in the heritage sectors of Chandigarh.
Punjab yet to allot land for depot
Though the Punjab government has agreed to provide 50 acres in New Chandigarh for the construction of a depot, this is contingent on the forest department raising no objections. The UT administration has sent several reminders to the Punjab government to clarify its stance on the land allotment, but the state is yet to respond. The depot will be used for inspections and maintenance work.
Two phases of Metro
The first phase includes three routes: Sultanpur, New Chandigarh, to Sector 28, Panchkula (34 km); Sukhna Lake to Zirakpur ISBT via Mohali ISBT and Chandigarh airport (41.20 km); and from Grain Market Chowk, Sector 39, to Transport Chowk, Sector 26 (13.30 km), along with a 2.5 km depot entry line.
In Phase 2, which will be developed after 2034, a 25 km line has been proposed from Airport Chowk to Manakpur Kallar (5 km) and ISBT Zirakpur to Pinjore (20 km), primarily an elevated network. The Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) recently gave its nod for the Metro lines to run underground in the heritage sectors (1 to 30). With the project going underground in these sectors, the cost will increase by ₹8,000 crore, bringing the total project cost to nearly ₹20,000 crore.