by On 31st July 2025, The Tribune published a striking headline: “Do you want Metro or no?” MP Tewari seeks clarity from UT Administration[1]. For me, this question was quite surprising because just a few months ago, newspapers were buzzing with updates: new metro routes finalized, project costs announced, maps detailing underground and overground stretches, and timelines of phased development.
That sudden uncertainty made me pause and think: what are we really asking when we ask if Chandigarh needs a Metro? Pondering over this question, I thought maybe this is not the right question to ask. A better question would be: Does Chandigarh and its urban region need a robust public transport system?
To that, my answer is a resounding Yes.
Why? Let me explain, not with data (that’s important too), but with lived experiences from my time in Mumbai and Delhi, two cities where public transport shapes daily life in distinct ways.
Learning from Mumbai and Delhi: The Role of Public Transport
Both Mumbai and Delhi have public transport systems used by millions daily.
In Mumbai, the local trains and BEST buses, legacies of the colonial era, are known for their affordability, connectivity, and punctuality. As the city expanded, especially along the east-west axis, authorities supplemented the system with Metro and Monorail lines.
Delhi’s real transformation came with the construction of the Metro, connecting the National Capital Region (NCR)- Delhi, Gurgaon, Faridabad, and NOIDA, through a fast, efficient network. It became a backbone of everyday mobility.
Commuting in Mumbai: A System That Works
During my first job in Mumbai, like many middle-class Mumbaikars, I lived far from work but chose a place near a suburban train station. Every morning, at exactly 9:05 AM, I boarded the ladies’ special and got off approximately 27 km later. A short walk took me to a BEST bus stop, and after another approximately 3 km ride and a 5-7 minute walk, I reached my office. For the return journey, I followed a similar pattern in the evening.
Despite the distance, my commute was rarely delayed, except during torrential rains. It was predictable, affordable, and well-integrated. As a regular commuter, I understood the system’s rhythms and adapted.
Commuting in Delhi: Proximity for Safety
Years later, I moved to Delhi. There, I chose to live close to my office and a metro station, not just for convenience but for safety. Unlike Mumbai, Delhi felt unsafe for women to travel long distances at odd hours.
Most days, while I walked to the office, my work took me around NCR, which meant frequent metro rides. On days I returned late, I avoided walking the dimly lit, isolated stretch between the metro station and my home and took an auto-rickshaw instead, paying exorbitant rates for a ride of less than 1 km. In contrast to Mumbai, Delhi’s autos did not use meters, and the experience involved constant negotiation, often for even short distances, with little predictability or fairness.
In Mumbai, mixed-use neighbourhoods and vibrant street life ensured that even long walks from the station felt secure. What Jane Jacobs called “eyes on the street” offered not just convenience but comfort.
Why These Stories Matter for Chandigarh?
You might wonder: what do these stories have to do with Chandigarh Metro?
In my view, everything.
These anecdotes highlight that it is not just about having a Metro. It is about having a public transport system, that is integrated, accessible, safe, and affordable. The emphasis should be on the word “system”.
Simply building a Metro line is not enough. What cities like Chandigarh require is a multi-modal transport network- trains/ Metro/ Trams, buses, autos, e-rickshaws woven together to make commuting smooth, comfortable, and feasible for all.
In Mumbai, stepping off a train often brings you directly to a bus stop. Autos and taxis are regulated, with meters ensuring fair pricing. The system enables last-mile connectivity without hassle or negotiation.
What Should Chandigarh Be Demanding?
I do not recommend imitating the Delhi and Mumbai model, but learning from their different facets (some shared through my anecdotes). I strongly advocate using the planned character of Chandigarh and its neighboring cities as an advantage towards building a strong public transport system. For this, I have a few recommendations:
Think in Systems, Not Silos: Plan for a networked system, not an isolated infrastructure. The Metro should be one element in a web of mobility options.
Develop Local Bus Services in Panchkula and Mohali to Complement CTU: Currently, Panchkula and Mohali lack dedicated city-level bus systems or have only limited coverage. These cities should establish structured local public bus networks that complement Chandigarh Transport Undertaking (CTU) services, ensuring better coverage, coordination, and commuter convenience across the tri-city region.
Regulate Autos and E-Rickshaws: Introduce metering and pricing guidelines in conversation with driver unions to ensure fair, safe last-mile access.
Design for All Commuters: Prioritize comfort, feasibility, and affordability, especially for students, informal sector workers, women, the elderly, and persons with disability.
Public Transport for a Changing Region
Chandigarh and its surrounding areas are no longer the compact, orderly spaces they were 50 years ago. Today, the region has evolved into a dynamic and dispersed urban formation, stretching far beyond the tri-city boundaries of Chandigarh, Mohali, and Panchkula. Industrial zones, residential developments, commercial hubs, and educational institutions now dot a much wider urban, peri-urban, and rural expanse. Public transport planning must reflect this changing geography, ensuring connectivity across this larger region rather than just within city cores.
The Culture of Cars: A Challenge to Change
Closely linked to the region’s changing geography is a cultural attachment to private vehicles. Over time, Chandigarh’s wide roads and orderly sectors have helped normalise car use; for many residents, owning the latest car is also a marker of status. In informal conversations I have had with some residents, Metro construction is seen as harming the city’s character and green cover and bringing prolonged disruption during construction. I understand these concerns, but my argument is different: affordable and reliable mobility is central to a sustainable, climate-aware, livable, and inclusive city. If we want to preserve Chandigarh’s beauty and livability, we must consciously prioritise mobility that sustains those values, not sacrifice them in a mad rush for cars and parking. Chandigarh can protect its character not by remaining stuck in the past, but by showing how planning can enable adaptation and change.
Meanwhile, a concerning trend is emerging: the accommodation of private vehicles at the cost of nature and public interest. On 30th June 2025, The Tribune reported that Chandigarh now has more registered vehicles than people[2]. This is not a milestone to be celebrated but a warning signal. It reflects growing traffic congestion, worsening air quality, loss of green cover, and mounting pressure on public infrastructure.
The recent approval of the city’s first flyover at Tribune Chowk, following years of protests and a petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court over the uprooting of hundreds of trees, is a case in point[3]. Similarly, the partial demolition of the Rock Garden’s outer wall, the clearing of green spaces near the High Court to create parking lots[4], and the court’s direction to pave over kutcha lots, all point to a city making space for cars by erasing nature[5]. Already, in November 2024, Chandigarh was declared the second most polluted city in the country, just after Delhi[6].
Unless we take proactive measures now, designing a well-connected, inclusive public transport system across the Chandigarh region, this pattern will continue. Infrastructures will keep being built to privilege cars, pollution levels will worsen, and our city’s natural heritage will be incrementally sacrificed. A Metro alone won’t change this. Only a truly robust, multimodal public transport system can offer a sustainable alternative for how we move and live in this region.
[1] Do you want Metro or no?, MP Tewari seeks clarity from UT Administration
[2] More vehicles than people in Chandigarh, highest density in the country
[3] Chandigarh’s Tribune Chowk Flyover project’s revised Rs. 240-crore estimate gets centre’s nod
[4] Rock Garden wall demolition: Road widening, parking project to be complete by March 31
[5] Lay green pavers in kutcha parking lot, High Court tells Chandigarh Admin
[6] Chandigarh becomes most polluted city after Delhi as air quality index now ‘Severe’ category
