CHANDIGARH (Metro Rail News): In a recent meeting, the governments of Punjab and Haryana, along with representatives from Chandigarh administration, made some important decisions about the Metro network in the Tricity. They have now expanded the first phase of the Metro from the earlier planned 66 kilometers to approximately 77 kilometers.
During the meeting, the three administrations agreed to assign the task of creating a detailed project report and an annual analysis report for the project to RITES. While most of the Metro project is expected to be overground, a final decision on this will be made during the preparation of the DPR, said a senior official of the UT administration.
Under the new plan, the Metro network in Phase 1 will cover 35 kilometers in Chandigarh, 11 kilometers in Panchkula, and 31 kilometers in Mohali/New Chandigarh. The construction for this first phase will take place from 2027 to 2037.
The meeting also led to the inclusion of more areas in Phase 1. Approximately 6 kilometers from Paroul in New Chandigarh to Sarangpur, and around 5 kilometers from Panchkula ISBT to Panchkula Extension in Sector 20 have been approved to be part of the Metro rail project. This addition of 11 kilometers will cover several significant destinations in the region.
The states will cover 20% of the project’s cost, the Center will contribute another 20%, and the remaining 60% will be financed by a lending agency. The overall project is expected to cost around Rs 10,570 crore.
RITES has provided an estimate that the preparation of the detailed project report will cost Rs 6.54 crore. It anticipates completing the DPR by March 2024, after which it will seek the required permissions to initiate the construction phase.