The State government is likely to merge Kerala Rapid Transit Corporation Limited (KRTCL), the special purpose vehicle (SPV) formed to execute the light metro project in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode, with Kochi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (KMRL) following a suggestion by the Union Ministry for Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
According to sources, the Centre has asked the State to consider forming one metro company for different metro projects in various cities in a State. Though the State has formed KRTCL for light metro project and went ahead with works, including the reworking of the Detailed Project Report (DPR), the State was of the opinion that there was nothing wrong in merging it with the KMRL as suggested by the Centre, said sources.
Yet to get final nod
Meanwhile, the State is yet to get the final approval for the proposed light metro project for the capital city from the MoHUA, even as the State government is moving ahead with land acquisition for constructing three flyovers at Sreekaryam, Ulloor and Pattom and preparing the DPR for extending the project till Technopark.
The State was directed to revise the DPR of the project, which was conceived in 2015, based on the guidelines in the new metro rail policy of the Centre in 2017 and the State was awaiting the final approval for the project after submitting the reworked DPR to the Centre in 2021. In the meantime, the Centre mooted the concept of MetroLite and MetroNeo as low-cost mobility solutions as part of standardising the metro networks in the country and asked the viability for the new concept in Kerala.
Prefers light metro
Urban transport is a State subject and Kerala is of the opinion that light metro is feasible for the two cities, while many other States like Delhi, Maharashtra, Jammu and Kashmir, and Uttar Pradesh chose to switch to the new modes for their upcoming metro projects. Though the State is eligible to seek Central financial assistance for the project with the revised DPR, as per Metro Rail Policy-2017 the Central government considers financial assistance for projects in cities based on feasibility of the proposals and availability of resources.
