Coimbatore Metro Rail: Why the project remains stalled after two rejections
Sixteen years after the idea was first proposed, the Coimbatore Metro Rail project remains uncertain. The Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has twice rejected the detailed project report (DPR) submitted by the Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL), leaving the second-largest city in Tamil Nadu without a clear timeline for a mass rapid transit system.
The proposal was first mooted in 2010, when the then Manmohan Singh government decided to introduce metro rail in 16 tier-two cities across India, including Coimbatore. Even before that, there were demands for a mass transit system, with debates over whether the city should get a mono rail or a metro. In 2011, the then Chief Minister Jayalalithaa announced a mono rail project for Coimbatore. Two years later, E. Sreedharan, former Managing Director of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, conducted a survey and concluded that the city was suited for a metro rail.
In 2017, the State government revived the proposal, and both the Centre and the State agreed to introduce a metro rail in Coimbatore. The CMRL was tasked with preparing a DPR the following year. The initial plan proposed a 39 km elevated corridor at an estimated cost of ₹10,740 crore, running along Avinashi Road up to Karumathampatti and from Ukkadam to Valiyampalayam Junction on Sathyamangalam Road. In 2021, the Tamil Nadu government allocated ₹6,683 crore for the project.
The CMRL later revised its plan to a “Metro Rail Lite” system at ₹9,424 crore, covering 138.9 km in three phases. In July 2023, it announced an elevated metro rail project for ₹9,000 crore along Sathyamangalam Road and Avinashi Road, covering a total length of 39 km with 32 stations. The Avinashi Road line was to run from Ukkadam to Neelambur, with a connection to the airport and 17 stations. The Sathyamangalam Road line was to run from the Coimbatore railway junction to Valiyampalayam, with 14 stations. The project required acquiring 38-40 acres for depots and 35 acres for the carriageway. Trains were planned with three coaches, each carrying 250 passengers, with services initially every five to seven minutes.
The Tamil Nadu government recommended the project to the Centre on February 16, 2024, and again on November 29, 2024. In a reply dated November 14, 2025, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs said the difference in travel time between metro and road in the city is almost the same, with passengers saving only two to three minutes by shifting to the metro. The Ministry also noted that Coimbatore city’s population, according to the 2011 census, is 15.84 lakh, and the projected daily ridership of 5.9 lakh for 34 km is higher than the first phase of the Chennai metro. It further pointed out that the right of way on some stretches, including NH Road and Big Bazaar Road, is less than 20 metres, making an elevated metro technically difficult.
A revised proposal was submitted in May this year, but the Ministry, in a communication on July 22, said the proposal was “silent about time saving during non-peak hours.” It also stated that the bus system in Coimbatore is not well developed, and without a strong bus network and last-mile connectivity, the metro cannot attract sufficient ridership. The proposal was returned after examination.
Coimbatore, an industrial and educational hub, has seen growing traffic congestion in recent years. The metro rail was expected to offer a sustainable alternative, but the Centre’s concerns about ridership and existing public transport infrastructure have complicated the project. The State government has not yet announced its next course of action, and residents continue to wait for a clear decision on the city’s long-pending mass transit project.
