After more than a decade of discussion, the Tricity Metro project connecting Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula has moved from concept to an approved plan on paper. The Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs approved the Tricity Metro project a month after receiving the comprehensive mobility plan, and the project has received a green signal nearly 14 years after being proposed. RITES has since been tasked with preparing the detailed phase-wise project report that will guide construction. For residents and investors in New Chandigarh (Mullanpur), this corridor is one of the most closely watched infrastructure stories in the region.
The alignment most relevant to Mullanpur is Line 1, which will be 34 km long and will connect ISBT Panchkula to Panchkula Extension, running through Sultanpur in New Chandigarh, Kurali, Sarangpur, Khuda Lahora, PGI, Panjab University and Chandigarh railway station before terminating in Panchkula. The metro corridor is primarily designed to operate overground, with only select central-Chandigarh stretches proposed underground. Taken together, the first phase is expected to cover roughly 89-91 km across Chandigarh, Mohali/New Chandigarh and Panchkula, running as a compact two-coach system rather than a full-scale metro.
Despite the approvals, the project remains in what local trackers describe bluntly. As of early 2026, the project is stuck in what we call paperwork limbo, with the Detailed Project Report still pending final clearance from the Central Government even though the routes have been agreed upon by Punjab, Haryana and the Chandigarh UT administration. Costs have also climbed sharply since the corridor was first proposed, with estimates now touching nearly ₹25,000 crore, a jump that could influence funding timelines and phasing decisions.
On the ground, 2026 is being treated as the year for final Detailed Project Report approval by the Union Cabinet and the start of land acquisition talks, followed by tenders in 2027 and a groundbreaking ceremony expected late that year. Some project trackers peg the opening of the first priority section around 2032, while other estimates stretch full Phase 1 completion out toward 2034-2037 — a reminder that mega-infrastructure timelines in India routinely shift and buyers should treat these as directional rather than fixed dates.
The metro isn't arriving in isolation. The Centre has also pushed forward a Rs 5,278-crore package of national highway projects for the Tricity, with the Prime Minister inaugurating one completed greenfield corridor and laying foundation stones for two new highways in mid-2026. This package includes the operational Zirakpur-Kurali Greenfield Highway, a proposed Zirakpur Bypass, and a Chandigarh Airport-Aerocity Greenfield Highway, together forming an important part of the larger Tricity mobility plan. For New Chandigarh, better road links compound the long-term upside that a future metro stop could bring.
Market watchers are cautioning buyers against expecting overnight price jumps. New Chandigarh is widely seen as a 5-8 year conviction investment, and buyers expecting short-term appreciation will likely be disappointed, while those with patience are more likely to see meaningful gains once anchor infrastructure like the metro and Medicity fully mature. Even skeptics of the metro's stated timelines tend to agree on one point: without it, worsening Tricity traffic will keep pushing the case for rail-based transit regardless of how long approvals take.
For buyers evaluating property in the corridor today, the takeaway is practical rather than speculative: New Chandigarh already benefits from proximity to PGI, Punjab University and the upcoming Medicity, and a confirmed (if slow-moving) metro line adds a long-term connectivity layer on top of that. Established, RERA-registered developments in the area — including DLF's township in Mullanpur — are positioned to benefit as road and rail infrastructure catches up with the area's residential growth over the coming decade.
