With barely a few months left for the incumbent government, the Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) and the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) have accelerated the process of preparing a detailed project report for the Thiruvananthapuram metro project. It is expected that the DPR could be submitted by the end of January or the first week of February.
Speaking to The Hindu, senior government sources said that the DPR of the project is in the finalization stage, with changes being made in the earlier DPR prepared by the DMRC.
As per the new layout approved by the state government, the first phase of the project is 31 km long with 27 stations, with the metro project starting from Pappanamcode and ending at Eenchakkal. The major revision of the DPR comes in areas such as the newly added Technopark section in the first phase of the project, which is included in view of the persistent demands raised by various stakeholders, along with a new section from Pattom to Ulloor via Medical College instead of the Pattom-Ulloor section via Kesavadasapuram.
Traffic projections along with technical feasibility of newly added stretches will be addressed in detail in the revised DPR. Once the DPR is submitted and vetted by the state government, it will be sent to the Cabinet for approval. It will then be submitted to the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) for final approval. The DPR is being revised by the DMRC as per KMRL guidelines and state government sources are hopeful that the revised DPR could be submitted to the Center before the tenure of the present government.
Subject to progress in obtaining final approval from the Center Government, KMRL may float tenders to engage consultants for project implementation and initiate land acquisition arrangements. Meanwhile, KMRL could complete road widening work along the approved stretch pending final approval. The Pattom flyover should also be redesigned as the arrangement favors running the Metro Rail project from Pattom to Ulloor via Medical College instead of the earlier agreed Pattom to Ulloor section via Kesavadasapuram.
Work on Sreekaryam flyover is in full swing where no major reconstruction is required. At the same time, there would be minor changes at the Ulloor junction with a new proposed line leading directly to the Medical College route, government sources said. The project is expected to cost around ₹8,000 crore to complete, with the cost per kilometer coming to ₹250 crore. Funding options, including the agencies from which the loans are to be borrowed, will be decided after the Centre’s approval, sources said. The project has been in limbo for some time and is now being revamped in line with the 2017 metro policy and central government guidelines, which insisted that North Station and the airport must be re-arranged.
Published – 22 Dec 2025 20:43 IST
