Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 6 (Wednesday) dedicated the final phase of the first phase of Kochi Metro (Phase 1B) linking the metro line to Thripunithura in Ernakulam district of Kerala to the nation in virtual mode from Kolkata. The Prime Minister also inaugurated India’s first underwater metro corridor.
The inauguration of the last phase of Kochi Metro completes the more than 28-km metro line between Aluva and Thripunithura which has 25 stations. The Thripunithura station, where the first phase ends, has been designed 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 to draw visitors to the site.
Link to GIFT City
Inaugurating a function organised at the Thripunithura metro station to mark the occasion, Minister of Industries P. Rajeeve said the Kerala government would consider linking the Nedumbassery airport to GIFT City at Ayampuzha near Angamaly.
The Ayampuzha facility will be the second GIFT City in the country after Gujarat and the metro link will improve its prospects. The second phase of the metro project will be between Palarivattom and Infopark at Kakkanad. This phase is expected to be completed in the first half of 2026, the Minister said.
He said the government has planned to declare Thripunithura Athachamayam ahead of Onam celebrations as a Statewide event in order to leverage the town’s potential to draw tourists. He said the metro station at Thripunithura is a push in this direction as “Kerala turns into a one single tourist destination.”
Hibi Eden, MP, K. Babu, MLA, and Thripunithura municipal chairperson Rema Santhosh, District Collector N.S.K. Umesh and Loknath Behera, MD, Kochi Metro Rail Limited, were among those who spoke at the function.
