KOCHI: Providing passengers with a seamless link to Kochi airport, the proposed Kochi Metro Phase 3 project will include airport check-in facilities at select stations along the Phase 1 and 2 corridors. It will also have provisions to increase train frequency during peak hours and reduce headway in line with flight schedules, officials said.
The detailed project report (DPR) for the third-phase envisages an airport connection, while excluding direct connectivity to Angamaly railway station.
The proposed 17.5km line will originate from Aluva and proceed to Kariyad before connecting to Kochi airport. It will also pass through Nayathode, Kavarapparambu and Arikkal Junction and terminate at Karayamparambu in Angamaly.
The DPR proposes 15 stations — Thottakkattukara, Kunnampuram, Parambayam, Nedumbassery, Athani, Kariyad, Airport Railway Station, Airport, Nayathode, Kavarapparambu, Arikkal Junction, LF Hospital, Angamaly Town, Kothakulangara and Karayamparambu.
Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) has held discussions with Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL) on the location of the airport metro station. A CIAL official said the land in front of the Taj Hotel, between the international and domestic terminals, has been identified as the most suitable location for the station. An escalator will be provided to connect the station with the airport, according to officials.
The proposed location will also link the metro station with the airport railway station, which is expected to benefit passengers using rail and air networks.
Around 20 cents of CIAL land is learnt to be earmarked for the KMRL project. Reducing headway in line with flight schedules will provide more convenient airport connectivity, they said.
Unlike in Phase 2, the latest DPR specifically includes parking facilities at the proposed stations. The project is targeted for completion by 2031, with land acquisition, pending approvals, expected to begin in 2027. Officials said the whole process could take around four years.
Officials said Angamaly railway station was left out of the alignment as providing connectivity to it would require the metro line to return from the airport to NH 544. This would lengthen the corridor and require additional land acquisition, increasing the cost of the project. The present alignment is the shortest route to the airport, officials said.
The DPR has considered an underground stretch near the airport only as a reference option and does not propose it as the preferred alignment. An elevated viaduct has been identified as the most economical option.
Phase 3 is currently estimated to cost around Rs 7,000-8,000 crore, while an underground stretch could add nearly Rs 2,000 crore to the project cost, officials said.
Key location identified
The detailed project report for the third-phase envisages an airport connection, while excluding direct connectivity to Angamaly railway station
A CIAL official said the land in front of the Taj Hotel, between the international and domestic terminals, has been identified as the most suitable location for the station