Tricity Metro Project Delayed Again as UT Seeks Revised Report from RITES
Chandigarh, June 18: The much-anticipated Tricity Metro project continues to face delays, with the UT Administration now asking consultancy firm RITES (Rail India Technical and Economic Service Ltd) to revise its Scenario Analysis Report (SAR) before further deliberations can proceed.
A crucial stakeholder meeting was held today, bringing together senior officials from Chandigarh’s engineering, urban planning, and transport departments, alongside representatives from RITES. The meeting reviewed the SAR submitted earlier this year during the two sessions of the joint committee of senior officials from Chandigarh, Punjab, and Haryana, which took place in January and February.
During the meeting, RITES presented core components of the report, including projections of transport demand, traffic analysis zones, highway network integration, travel demand modelling, and a proposed train operation plan. Additional technical details such as the power supply system, geometric parameters of the Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS), corridor characteristics, capital costs, financing strategies, and economic viability assessments were also discussed. RITES also shared calculations for the Financial Internal Rate of Return (FIRR) and Economic Internal Rate of Return (EIRR), along with a detailed analysis of economic costs and projected benefits of the Metro project.
However, several concerns were raised by UT officials. A senior official revealed that many of the critical points highlighted in earlier meetings had not been addressed in the revised SAR. Among the gaps were a lack of clarity on the methodology for ridership projections based on “passenger per hour per direction”, absence of comparative data with actual figures noted in the CAG report, missing operational ratio metrics, and a lack of transparency around the reliability of the software used for projections.
Further, RITES did not provide a conversion factor for estimating actual metro boardings, failed to justify the 3% annual traffic growth assumption, and left inconsistencies in economic scenario analyses unresolved. The impact of isolated MRTS corridors on the overall EIRR was also not adequately explained.
“RITES has been directed to revise the report thoroughly and incorporate all feedback and actionable points discussed over the past two meetings,” the official said.
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The Chandigarh Metro project is planned to serve the Tricity region — Chandigarh, Mohali, and Panchkula — aiming to offer an efficient and modern public transport system.
The project is being examined by a high-level joint committee set up by Punjab Governor and Chandigarh Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria in November 2024. This panel, which functions under the broader framework of the Chandigarh Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (UMTA), was formed to scrutinize all aspects of the Metro’s feasibility — including insights from CAG reports on metro projects across India.
The committee has already held two sessions in early 2025, and today’s meeting marks a continuation of that detailed review process. Despite the prolonged wait, officials say the focus remains on ensuring due diligence and a financially viable mass transit system for the Tricity’s future.
