KOCHI: Work on the second phase of Kochi Metro — from JLN Stadium in Kaloor to Infopark in Kakkanad — has gathered steam with the first U-girder on the 11.2-km section being placed on Friday.
The 170-tonne girder, fabricated at the casting yard in Kalamassery, was placed between pillars 284 and 285 on the Infopark Expressway. It was brought to the site on a multi-axle trailer and was placed on the pier cap of the pillars using heavy duty cranes.
“The placing of girders over the pillars along the Infopark Expressway will continue in the coming days. Once the girders are in place over a one-km stretch, we will start work on the track,” a metro spokesperson said.
The Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL) aims to open the first reach of the Pink Line, up to Padamugal, by June 30 next year, while work on the entire section is expected to be completed by December 31, 2026. The first reach includes five stations — Palarivattom Junction, Palarivattom Bypass, Chembumukku, Vazhakkala and Padamugal, besides JLN Stadium.
“So far, 65 pillars have been built along SEZ, Alinchuvadu and Vazhakkala. The construction of 1,135 piles, including 875 for the metro viaduct and 260 for metro stations, has been completed.
The work on pier caps and girders are progressing in the casting yard. As many as 100 U-girders, 72 A-girders and 100 pier caps have been completed,” the official said. The tendering process for track construction is being carried out simultaneously. According to the Phase II alignment, the Pink Line will start at JLN Stadium station.
Two new tracks (‘up’ and ‘down’) will initially use the space available on either side of the existing Aluva metro corridor. The Infopark-bound ‘up’ line will pass above the existing Aluva line near Kurishupally at Palarivattom to continue its journey towards Kakkanad.
The returning ‘down’ line will run on the right side of the Aluva line for this approximately one-kilometre section, eliminating the need for a second overpass and simplifying construction.
The foundation stone for the Kochi Metro Phase II work was laid in September 2022. The original deadline of 2025 was revised to December 31, 2026.
