Tamil Nadu CM Stalin accuses Centre of ‘revenge politics’: What we know about Madurai, Coimbatore Metro proposals

Terming it a “revenge” against the Tamil Nadu’s democratic choice to elect an Opposition-party government, he said, “Pushing such a political custom, in which BJP ruled states get Metros for smaller Tier II cities while opposition ruled States are deprived, is a disgraceful approach. Tamil Nadu, the land of self respect, will never accept such a distortion of federal principles.”

‘கோயில் நகர்’ மதுரைக்கும், ‘தென்னிந்திய மான்செஸ்டர்’ கோவைக்கும் “NO METRO” என நிராகரித்துள்ளது ஒன்றிய பா.ஜ.க. அரசு!

அனைவருக்கும் பொதுவானதாகச் செயல்படுவதுதான் அரசுக்கான இலக்கணம். அதற்கு மாறாக, பா.ஜ.க.வைத் தமிழ்நாட்டு மக்கள் நிராகரிப்பதற்காக இப்படி பழிவாங்குவது கீழ்மையான போக்கு.… pic.twitter.com/PEoQKCBMRY

— M.K.Stalin – தமிழ்நாட்டை தலைகுனிய விடமாட்டேன் (@mkstalin) November 19, 2025

“The Union BJP government has denied Metro Rail for ‘Temple City’ Madurai and for ‘South India’s Manchester’, Coimbatore, on flimsy grounds,” Stalin wrote on X, adding, “They attempted to stall the Chennai Metro, and we overcame those malicious attempts and kept the project progressing. With the same determination, we will secure the Metro Rail that Madurai and Coimbatore need for their future growth.”

For Coimbatore, the Tamil Nadu government had submitted an ambitious proposal in phases, including two major corridors—Avinashi Road and Sathyamangalam Road—stretching 44 km at an estimated cost of Rs 9,424 crore. Early works were targeted for 2025, pending central approval.

For Madurai, planners conceived a 32 km corridor from Thirumangalam to Othakadai, with 27 stations, three of them underground. The project’s estimated cost is Rs 11,366 crore, with feasibility studies conducted between 2022 and 2024.

Both projects have been pursued aggressively for over a decade, with city planners, industrial associations, and elected representatives arguing that the rapidly growing industrial region of Coimbatore and the historic, densely populated Madurai require major capacity upgrades in public transportation.

Why the Centre blocked Metro projects

Earliert this month, the Union government  rejected the detailed reports on Metro Rail project, arguing that the cities lack the mandated 2-million population according to the 2011 census while The Metro Rail Policy, 2017, mentions that the population of a city is required to house a population of at least 2 million to plan a Metro Rail project.

According to the last Census in 2011, Coimbatore’s population stood at 15.84 lakh, while Madurai’s was below 15 lakh, both falling short of the mandated criterion.

Tamil Nadu’s counter

However, the state government argues that the figures are outdated and do not reflect the rapid growth of the past decade. The state government has argued that the Centre’s position ignored the economic importance of Coimbatore and Madurai, both of which have seen surging growth in manufacturing, textiles, education, and tourism. The state is also planning to revise and resubmit the DPRs with updated demographic data once the delayed Census process resumes. International lenders, including the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, have indicated interest in supporting the Coimbatore project.

Centre’s recommendations

Officials in New Delhi have also questioned the ridership projections in the Tamil Nadu DPRs. The Madurai plan and the Coimbatore plan projected daily ridership levels that the Centre considered “unrealistic,” noting that Coimbatore’s estimated ridership of 5.9 lakh exceeded even the actual ridership of the Chennai Metro in 2025.

The Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry recommended alternatives such as expanded bus systems and Bus Rapid Transit System corridors, saying these were more aligned with the cities’ sizes.

The Tamil Nadu government and several urban planning experts have pushed back, pointing out that cities like Agra, Patna, and Bhopal received Metro clearance at similar population levels. The state sees this as evidence of what Stalin called “revenge politics”.

The state government has argued that the Centre’s position ignored the economic importance of Coimbatore and Madurai, both of which have seen surging growth in manufacturing, textiles, education, and tourism. The state is also planning to revise and resubmit the DPRs with updated demographic data once the delayed Census process resumes. International lenders, including the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, have indicated interest in supporting the Coimbatore project.