From assembly elections 2026 to the muchawaited Wayanad Township Project for the landslide victims, the state of Kerala has much more to look forward to in the year 2026. TNIE takes a look at some of the major events set to unfold in the new year.
Sporty affairs
After a successful pilot, the College Sports League – Kerala will be scaled up in 2026 with new disciplines including cricket, basketball and kabaddi. The league will run in a three-tier format (district, zonal and state), aiming to retain youngsters in competitive sport and create campus-driven sporting ecosystems. Kerala will get its first exclusive basketball franchise league in April, marking a major push to revive the sport.
Featuring only Kerala players, the developmental league will spotlight U14 and U18 talent through scouting, auctions and 72 matches in Kochi, with a senior league planned next season.
Wheeling into success
Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL) will have its hands full in 2026 with the launch of one of its most important projects — the pink line to Infopark. Five stations will be opened in June, while the entire stretch will be opened by the end of the year. Another important project is the third line that will see the extension of metro services from Aluva to Angamaly. The DPR for the same is expected to be approved this year.
As for the Thiruvananthapuram metro rail project, the DPR has been submitted and the state government’s approval is expected in 2026. This will also be hectic year for Kochi water metro, with three new terminals — Kadamakudy, Paliamthuruth and Kumbalam — expected to get a move on. The work on Edakochi and Thoppumpady terminals will begin this year.
Making it count
Will the trend observed during the recent local self-government (LSG) polls persist? Will the LDF government hold on to power for a third straight time? All these questions will be answered when the assembly election comes calling — either in April or May. With the LDF and UDF sounding confident, it remains to be seen who will have the last laugh. The BJP, which was able to capture Thiruvananthapuram corporation in the civic polls, is also hoping to improve its vote share and become a significant factor in Kerala’s political scenario. The party is keen to end its drought in the assembly and is eyeing a few seats.
Fresh start
Construction of the model township for Chooralmala-Mundakkai landslide survivors is progressing rapidly at Elstone Estate, in Kalpetta, with the government targeting completion by 2026. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan laid the foundation stone in March 2025 for the 64.4-hectare project, which will provide 430 homes along with a primary health centre, school, and community space. Currently, around 410 houses are in various stages of construction across multiple clusters. While 295 families have consented to move into the township, 104 have opted for a `15-lakh compensation package to relocate independently
Changing gears
KSRTC’s AI software project, which aims to make bus deployment smarter, more efficient, and responsive to real-time commuter needs, is expected to be launched this year. The AI software will analyse data such as ticket sales, routes, 4,500 schedules, passenger volume, and travel time before recommending how many buses should operate on each route and at what times.
Private mode
The Kerala State Private Universities (Establishment and Regulation) Bill 2025, which became a bone of contention between the state government and the governor in 2025, might see daylight in 2026. It is anticipated that the governor will give his nod to the bill, paving the way for many big names in the sector to set up their campuses in Kerala. The state believes that the involvement of private sector in higher education is not only inevitable but also essential to develop capacities, enhance access and lessen the burden on the public exchequer for financing higher education.
Sails unfurled
The Cochin Shipyard (CSL), in collaboration with HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, part of Hyundai, is setting up a major block fabrication facility (BFF) in Kochi, at a cost of around `3,700 crore on 80 acres, to produce large, pre-outfitted steel blocks for big vessels like Suezmax tankers, boosting India’s shipbuilding capacity. This project is expected to start in 2026. The facility will streamline production, support CSL’s new dry dock, and create thousands of jobs.
Reviving waterways: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has announced that the proposed Canal City project centred on the Connolly Canal in Kozhikode will be launched in 2026. The state cabinet had approved the ambitious `1,118-crore initiative on February 17, 2022, aiming to revive the historic canal as a major waterway to promote tourism and improve goods transport. The project will involve acquiring 10 acres of land to develop a 14-m-wide canal corridor.
Tiger, tiger...
The DPR for the first phase of a biological park, featuring a tiger safari at the Perambra Estate land in Muthukad in Kozhikode district, has been completed. Once administrative sanction is granted, the initial work is expected to be finished within a year. The initial phase involves construction across four hectares at the estate’s entrance with an estimated budget of `16 crore. The first stage will prioritise essential infrastructure, including a bioresource park, entrance gate, vehicle parking, cafeteria, and ticket counters. The tiger safari, planned for a 120-hectare fenced area where tourists can view tigers from armoured vehicles, will be developed in the second phase alongside a veterinary hospital and rescue centre.
Lease of life
Work on an ambitious project that will see the setting up of the State Institute of Organ and Tissue Transplantation on 20 acres at Chevayur in Kozhikode is expected to begin in 2026. Envisaged as an umbrella organisation, the institute will bring together scientists, researchers and expert clinicians and coordinate all activities related to organ donation and transplant in the state, including treatment and rehabilitation.
IT is lit
A lot will be happening this year in the state’s IT sector, especially in infrastructure development. The land pooling process for the Infopark Phase III project is expected to be completed by the end of the year, and steps will be taken to start construction. Some of the projects that have been envisaged in the IT-Vision 2030 — Coastal Digital Twin, Kerala Cyber Shield, Green Compute Parks, Kerala Digital Health Plus, EdTech & Vernacular AI, and Kerala Fabless 100 — are also expected to be launched in 2026.
On the fast lane
The ambitious NH 66 six-laning work is expected to be completed by August. The Aroor-Thuravoor (12.75km elevated section) stretch, which had been in the news for accidents and other construction-related incidents that set the project back, is anticipated to be ready by June. Work on six other stretches — together covering 202km — including Chengala to Nileshwar, Nileshwar to Taliparamba, and Thalikulam to Kodungallur, is expected to be over by March.
Molly on a roll
2025 saw a lot happening in Mollywood, be it the release of blockbusters or the death of some prominent personalities. The new year is expected to be more exciting with the release of a few big projects. Patriot will be one film to look forward to since it will mark the coming together of the Mammootty-Mohanlal duo after 17 years. Another much anticipated film is Drishyam 3, which was picked up for a blockbuster deal of `115 crore by Mumbai-based Panorama Studios even before it wrapped up. Other major projects anticipated in 2026 are Khalifa starring Prithviraj Sukumaran, and directed by Vysakh and Dulquer Salman’s I’m Game, directed by Nahas Hidhayath. The completion and submission of DPR for Kerala’s new film policy is yet another major development anticipated.
MISSED DEADLINES
Last year, Keralites looked forward eagerly to some events, but were left crestfallen when things didn’t go as planned.
Still in hangar
A plenty of buzz was created over the launch of low-cost airlines AlHind Air and Air Kerala. But hopes of seeing Kerala-based flights in the skies seem to have been dashed, though they are on track to receive DGCA approval
Tetherless still?
Work on the ropeway from Pampa to Sabarimala Sannidhanam was to begin in January 2025 so as to meet the deadline of the 2026 pilgrimage season. However, the ground reality is different. Work on the project is yet to start. Will the ropeway project still remain a distant dream?
A Mess y business
A lot of hype was generated around Lionel Messi-led Argentina’s match planned at Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium. But, after some nail-biting days that saw hopes rising and then getting doused, the GOAT's Kochi date got cancelled with the stadium’s lack of conformity to FIFA norms cited as a reason.
Dubai plans flounder
A Kerala Maritime Board project to start a passenger ship service from Kochi to Dubai missed the launch date of January 2025 after being hit by various issues like selection of ships, and Union government approval.
text: Anu Kuruvilla & pooja nair DESIGN: vinu sebastian eDITING: nidhi chandran