The Tamil Nadu government has once again urged the Union government to revive the proposed Metro Rail projects for Coimbatore and Madurai. Following the Chief Minister’s intervention, a senior official confirmed that a letter has been sent to the Prime Minister requesting a reconsideration of the projects that were earlier rejected.
The state government plans to resubmit its proposal with additional data, countering the Union government’s assessment that passenger demand in both cities is insufficient to justify Metro projects.
According to officials, the Union government’s primary concern is the lack of adequate passenger demand for Metro systems in Coimbatore and Madurai. Sources within Chennai Metro Rail also point to demand projections as a key issue.
However, Tamil Nadu government officials argue that both cities are fast-growing industrial and commercial hubs, with expanding economies and rising populations. They maintain that detailed data has been compiled to demonstrate why Metro Rail is essential for the long-term urban mobility needs of these cities.
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs had earlier returned the Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for both cities, stating that they did not comply with the 2017 Metro Rail Policy. The rejection cited inflated ridership projections, underestimation of engineering challenges, and failure to meet population thresholds required under the 50:50 funding model between the Centre and the State.
The Centre questioned the projected daily ridership of 5.9 lakh passengers for the Coimbatore Metro, noting that it exceeds the ridership recorded by Phase I of Chennai Metro despite Coimbatore’s smaller network length of 34 km.
Additional concerns included:
These factors, the Centre argued, could limit a large-scale shift to Metro usage.
A similar assessment was made for Madurai. The Union government stated that Madurai’s Comprehensive Mobility Plan recommends a Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) rather than a Metro Rail system.
Given the city’s population size, the Centre suggested that lower-cost and more easily scalable solutions such as strengthened bus networks and BRTS would offer better value compared to a capital-intensive Metro project.
As per the 2011 Census:
Under the 2017 Metro Rail Policy, a city must have a minimum population of 20 lakh to qualify for a Metro project. Citing this requirement, the Union government reiterated that Metro projects must be planned cautiously to ensure long-term financial and operational sustainability.
“Metro Rail projects involve high capital costs. For these cities, affordable urban transport options such as robust bus services and BRTS are more suitable,” the ministry stated while returning the DPRs.
Despite the Centre’s reservations, the Tamil Nadu government remains firm on pursuing Metro Rail projects for both cities. A state official said the Union government has suggested exploring alternative transport systems but added, “We will justify our position and continue to press for approval.”
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