Land records gutted at Hry secretariat

Both phases of the Tricity Metro project zigzag through various parts of Mohali district

- Hillary Victor

CHANDIGARH: While Metro lines will run fully underground in parts of Chandigarh, in Mohali district, these will be entirely on elevated tracks, as presented by Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES) in its findings.

As part of the committee constituted to study the feasibility of the Metro project, including all aspects such as Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) reports on Metro projects in other Indian cities, RITES shared its findings about Mohali district with officers of the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) last month.

On November 1, 2024, UT administrator Gulab Chand Kataria had established an eight-member committee to evaluate the financial and economic feasibility of the proposed system. This committee is tasked with assessing the overall feasibility of a Metro project for the region, analysing CAG reports on similar projects, and submitting its findings by mid-January 2025.

For Chandigarh, the Union ministry of housing and urban affairs (MoHUA) has already approved fully underground Metro lines in heritage sectors (1 to 30).

Presenting its report before GMADA officers, RITES stated that the section of the Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) in Zirakpur, running from the Zirakpur bus stand towards Panchkula, lies on the right side of the national highway. Portions of certain buildings fall under the proposed Metro alignment, necessitating a detailed ground survey to recheck the corridor alignment.

The presentation further detailed Corridor 1, which extends from Paroul in New Chandigarh to the Panchkula extension. This corridor will feature 28 stations, and the travel time is estimated at around one hour. An additional extension of 2-3 km to the Kurali-Siswan Road T-point has been proposed to address future demand.