Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday dedicated to the nation Phase 1B of the Kochi metro, which extends the metro line to Thripunithura. The metro station was dedicated to the nation online by the Prime Minister in Kolkata, where he also inaugurated India’s first underwater metro rail route.
The inauguration marked the completion of the over 28-km metro line between Aluva and Thripunithura, which has 25 stations. The Thripunithura station, where the first phase ends, has been designed in keeping with the cultural heritage of the town just outside Kochi and is meant to attract tourists. The 1.35-lakh sq. ft. metro station will soon house a dance museum.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who addressed the gathering to mark the inauguration of the new metro station, said the success of the Kochi metro highlighted the government’s efforts to provide comfortable, safe and economic mode of transport to ordinary people. He added that the number of passengers using the metro had risen to one lakh a day, a clear example of its mass appeal.
With the metro rail reaching Thripunithura, the town was entering a new phase of development, the Chief Minister said. It will now be possible for those reaching the Thripunithura railway station to reach the city centre without falling prey to traffic congestion.
Inaugurating a function organised at the Thripunithura metro station, Industries Minister P. Rajeeve said the State government would consider providing metro rail link from the Nedumbassery airport to the proposed GIFT City at Ayyampuzha, near Angamaly. The International Financial Tech City would benefit from the direct link to the financial capital of the State and add to its attraction, said the Minister.
The second phase of the metro project will be between Palarivattom and Infopark in Kakkanad. That phase was expected to be completed in the first half of 2026, he said.
Mr. Rajeeve said Water Metro linkages would be extended to include Cheranalloor, Chittoor, and Eloor. He said Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) had acquired enough experience and expertise to take up works of similar nature in other cities in the State.
He said the government planned to include the Thripunithura Athachamayam festivities ahead of Onam celebrations in the list of the State’s official programmes to leverage the potential of the town to draw tourists. He added that the metro station in Thripunithura would add to efforts being made by the government to turn the entire State into a single tourist destination.
MP Hibi Eden, MLA K. Babu, Thripunithura municipal chairperson Rema Santhosh, District Collector N.S.K. Umesh and KMRL Managing Director Loknath Behera were among those who spoke at the function.
