2-coach Metro most viable for Chandigarh tricity, says draft report

Chandigarh, July 20

To ease traffic congestion, a subsidiary of the Railways (RITES) has recommended a two-coach Metro system for the tricity.

Based on both qualitative and quantitative screening carried out by the agency concerned, the Metro (2 coach) system has emerged as the most viable alternative mass rapid transport system (MRTS) to meet the expected mass transport needs of the tricity, recommended RITES in its draft alternatives analysis report (AAR).

After qualitative evaluation of the available alternatives, namely normal bus system, bus rapid transit (BRT), Metro Neo, Metrolite and Metro rail, carried out on the identified mass transport corridor, the report ruled out normal bus, BRT and Metro Neo in view of their inability to meet the future passenger demand and significant greenhouse gas emissions. In the preliminary screening, Metrolite and Metro Rail (2 coach) emerged as prospective mass transport system for the tricity. However, the Metrolite system will not be able to cater to the peak hour, peak direction passenger trips (PHPDT) and will get saturated around 2054-55. Only the Metro (2 coach) system will continue to cater to the peak hour passenger demand much beyond 2056 as it has a higher carrying capacity, suggested the report.

The MRTS network, with a total length of about 77 km in Phase I, has been planned and is proposed to be developed between 2027 and 2037. In Phase II (beyond 2037), a network of about 77.5 km has been planned. Initially, a dedicated bus system can be operated immediately on these routes till the proposed MRTS is implemented.

During a meeting with the Centre last month, it was decided that due to the heritage nature of Chandigarh, the corridors in the city shall run underground. Accordingly, Corridor-1 from the PU to Sector 26 and Corridor-2 from Sukhna Lake to Sector 43/44 shall be underground.

Corridor 1: On the 30.75 km long Paroul, New Chandigarh, to Sector 28, Panchkula, the corridor from Paroul to the PU has been planned as elevated, from the PU to Sector 26 as underground and from Sector 26 to Sector 28, Panchkula as elevated. The total length of underground section is 6.10 km and of elevated section is 24.65 km. A total of 26 stations have been provided on the corridor including 20 stations as elevated and 6 as underground.

Corridor 2 will be from Sukhna Lake to Sector 20/21, Panchkula. The 34.4 km corridor starts from Sukhna and runs along Uttar Marg, Jan Marg, Udyog Path, Himalaya Marg, Airport Road, Aerocity Road, and terminates at Sector 20/21, Panchkula. From Sukhna to Sector 43/44, the corridor is planned underground and from Sector 43/33 to Sector 20/21, Panchkula, elevated. The total length of the underground section is 9.75 km and that of elevated section 24.65 km. There will be a total of 31 stations on the corridor.