KOCHI: With the tender awarded for the `7.56-crore project, preliminary work is under way at the site earmarked for the Nedumbassery railway station. According to sources with the Southern Railway’s Thiruvananthapuram Division headquarters, land levelling is currently on, with piling for the station building and other infrastructure work set to begin later.
The Railways had floated a tender for the construction of a halt station at Nedumbassery, close to Kochi airport, in January this year, said a source.
“The project was announced by the Railways’ Gati Shakti division, for an estimated cost of `7.56 crore, with the deadline for bid submission set for February 5, 2026. The tender has been awarded, and once the design for the station is approved by the Railway Board, the work will begin,” the source said.
When TNIE visited the site for the proposed station, hectic work involving earthmovers was on to level the land. “But that’s just the baseline work. Major work will be undertaken in the coming months,” a Railways source said.
The project comprises a station building on the eastern side of the land earmarked for the project, 600m-long platforms on either side, pedestrian overpass, lift, and parking facilities.
Last October, the Railway Board approved the proposal for a station in Nedumbassery. Once the project is realised, it will be the first railway station adjacent to an airport in the state.The project will transform Nedumbassery into a multi-modal transport hub, although stakeholders note that last-mile connectivity solutions — such as shuttle buses or link services — from the Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) or Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL) will be crucial to maximising the station’s utility.
The development follows years of local demand and official planning, with previous proposals and site inspections indicating strong support for integrating rail travel with Kochi’s airport infrastructure to boost commuter convenience and regional mobility.
Though the Nedumbassery airport station will initially function as a halt station, or station with basic facilities, between Angamaly and Chowwara, Railways officials said it is expected to grow into a key railway hub in the state, given its proximity to the airport.