Chandigarh, March 24 -- Rajya Sabha member Satnam Singh Sandhu on Monday sought a metro rail network in Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula in view of the rising population in the tricity. Raising the issue in Rajya Sabha through a Special Mention during the ongoing budget session, MP Sandhu said the tricity is growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.02% and its population is projected to surpass the 40-lakh mark by 2041. The tricity constitutes one of north India's fastest-growing urban clusters which is further linked to key cities such as Kharar, Zirakpur, Dera Bassi, Lalru, Kurali, Rupnagar, Pinjore, Kalka and Ambala. The combined population of these areas exceeds 40 lakh, he added. "Given this scenario, the development of a comprehensive metro network would provide enhanced connectivity to industrial and educational hubs," he said. Sandhu said the daily ridership of the proposed metro rail network in the tricity could reach approximately 25 lakh by 2031. "If a modern system like the metro is not developed, the average vehicular speed within the tricity could plummet from the current 25 to 30 kilometer per hour (km/h) to less than 15 km/h," he added. MP Sandhu highlighted that the metro services were available in only five cities across the nation before 2014, but now this network has extended to over 25 cities under the leadership of PM Modi. Chandigarh Tricity Metro (114 km), with three elevated lines and over 50 stations, is a mass rapid transit system (MRTS) proposed to be built in Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula at an estimated cost of Rs.25,000 crore. Chandigarh currently has the highest per capita vehicle density in India with 14.27 lakh registered vehicles against a population of 12.5 lakh....