THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: To boost the development of the capital city, the budget being presented said the state’s second metro rail project in Thiruvananthapuram will begin this year itself. The finance minister, who said that the Kozhikode Metro will also be made a reality, clarified in his budget speech that the development of the Kochi Metro will continue. The minister said Vizhinjam is a priority for related activities.

There were reports that the state government would approve the final alignment of the Thiruvananthapuram Metro project by the end of this month. Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) managing director Loknath Behera clarified that they have already submitted several alignment proposals. ‘The government also has the proposals prepared by Delhi Metro Rail Limited. All of them are completely on a technical basis. The government will analyze all of them and select the most suitable one. It is expected that it will be done by the end of this month,' Behera said. Once the government approves the alignment, it will be submitted to the Centre.

The government is most interested in the alignment starting from Kazhakoottam near Technopark and going up to East Fort. Other alignments are also being considered. It is learnt that 42 km of the metro rail project in the capital will be included. 37 stations are envisaged.

The cost of the Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode metro projects will be shared in the ratio of 20:20:60. 20% each will be provided by the central and state governments and the rest will be financed through a loan from an approved agency.