Coimbatore And Madurai Metro Proposals Returned Due To Short Distances, Unrealistic Ridership: Centre Replies To DMK MP

The Union government has reiterated why the proposed metro projects for Coimbatore and Madurai were sent back to the Tamil Nadu administration, following a clarification sought in the Rajya Sabha.

The response came after MP Dr Kanimozhi NVN Somu asked whether the Centre had declined to process the plans for the two cities.

In the written reply, Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Tokhan Sahu explained that the Centre evaluates metro proposals strictly on feasibility and resource availability.

He noted that while Tamil Nadu had submitted the Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) and Comprehensive Mobility Plans (CMPs) for both cities, several aspects did not meet the required benchmarks.

Sahu stated: “GoTN submitted Detailed Project Report (DPR) and Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP) for Metro Projects of the Coimbatore and Madurai. The proposals have been examined and returned to the Government of Tamil Nadu due to…”

Why the Coimbatore Metro Plan Was Returned

According to the minister, the Centre flagged the Coimbatore proposal for the following reasons:

1. Short travel distances and relatively good road speeds mean that shifting commuters to a metro system is unlikely, as time savings would be minimal.

2. The DPR assumes that residents from the Local Planning Area, which is five times larger than the city corporation limits, would use the metro—a projection considered impractical.

3. The ridership estimate of 5.9 lakh passengers per day for a 34 km network was viewed as unrealistic, especially when compared with Chennai Metro’s 4 lakh riders across 55 km.

4. Several stretches lack adequate space for station construction due to insufficient Right of Way.

For Madurai, Sahu pointed to the CMP, which found that current demand supports a Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) rather than a metro, making the latter a less cost-effective option.

The non-acceptance of the two proposals had created a row in Tamil Nadu, with the DMK accusing the BJP of blocking the state's development.

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