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Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday, November 7, announced the alignment for the first phase of the Thiruvananthapuram Metro Rail project, calling it a landmark step toward transforming the state capital’s urban landscape.
Revealing the approved alignment via social media, Vijayan said the Thiruvananthapuram Metro will redefine urban mobility and accelerate the capital’s development.
The announcement comes just days before the likely declaration of local body polls. The CPI(M)-led LDF government currently rules the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, where a keen three-cornered contest is expected. The proposed metro stretch will traverse areas under the Corporation’s limits.
Spanning 31 km with 27 stations, the first phase will connect major information technology hubs, transport terminals, and key administrative and healthcare centres across the city. The line will start at Pappanamcode and pass through Killippalam, Palayam, Sreekariyam, Kazhakoottam, Technopark, Kochuveli, and the airport before ending at Inchakkal.
Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) will implement the project and is already managing related infrastructure works in the capital. The construction of the Sreekariyam flyover, one of the preparatory projects entrusted to KMRL along with the Ulloor and Pattom flyovers, is progressing rapidly.
According to the Chief Minister, the metro will be a game-changer for Thiruvananthapuram, improving connectivity, easing traffic congestion, and promoting sustainable mobility. Interchange stations at Kazhakoottam, Technopark, and Kariavattom will improve access between key residential and commercial zones.
Once completed, the metro will seamlessly connect Technopark’s three phases, the international airport, Thampanoor bus stand, railway station, Secretariat, and Medical College, integrating the city’s administrative, transport, and business hubs.
Notably, a similar metro proposal was approved more than a decade ago under then Chief Minister Oommen Chandy after consultations with ‘Metroman’ E Sreedharan, but it failed to take off due to various reasons.