Prime Minister lays foundation stone of second phase of Kochi Metro, other railway projects; new projects are Onam gift to Kerala, says Modi

KOCHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a visit to Kerala, on Thursday laid the foundation stone and inaugurated various projects of Kochi Metro and Indian Railways worth over Rs 4,500 crore. The Prime Minister announced that the projects are an Onam gift for Kerala. The Prime Minister said that these projects are the milestones of railway development in Kerala. The Phase I extension of the Kochi Metro Rail Project has been done from Petta to SN junction.

Prime Minister today also laid the foundation stone for the Phase -II stretch of the Kochi Metro rail project from JLN stadium to Infopark, having a length of 11.2 kilometre and covering 11 stations. The total estimated cost of this project is around Rs 1,950 crore.

The proposed Phase II corridor of the Kochi Metro Rail Project is aimed at catering to the growing transportation needs of Kochi City and is planned in such a way that it connects the District Headquarters, Special Economic Zone and IT Hub of the city with the existing metro rail network, said PMO statement.

On completion, the combined Phase I and Phase II metro network will link the major residential and commercial hubs in the city with major transit hubs such as railway stations and bus stands, thus reinforcing the concept of multi-modal integration and last-mile connectivity.

PM Modi inaugurated the doubling of the Kuruppanthara-Kottayam-Chingavanam rail section, completed at a cost of nearly Rs 750 crore. With this, the entire stretch from Thiruvananthapuram to Mangaluru is fully doubled now, promising faster and seamless connectivity. Significantly, lakhs of devotees bound for Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa Shrine can conveniently alight at Kottayam or Chengannur railway station in the doubled section and proceed by road to Pamba. He also dedicated to the nation the newly electrified rail section between Kollam - Punalur.

The laying of the foundation stone for the redevelopment of three Railway stations in Kerala - Ernakulam Junction, Ernakulam Town and Kollam has also been done by PM Modi today.

The total estimated cost of these station redevelopment projects is around Rs 1,050 crore. These railway stations will be equipped with state-of-the-art amenities and world-class facilities such as dedicated arrival/departure corridors, skywalks, solar panels, sewage treatment plants, energy-efficient lighting, rain-water harvesting and intermodal transport facilities.