KOCHI: Several key technical posts at Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL) are either vacant or being handled temporarily at a time when the agency is executing Phase II of Kochi Metro, preparing for Phase III and taking on a range of urban mobility projects.
The GM (signalling and telecommunication) post has remained vacant since June 2025. The GM (projects) position has also not had a regular incumbent since April 2024. The post is currently being handled at the chief engineer level on a temporary basis.
The GM (electrical and rolling stock) post has been under temporary arrangement since May 2022 after the holder went on deputation. It is currently being handled by a retired railway official. The same official is also holding additional charge of GM (operations and maintenance), a post that fell vacant after the incumbent retired in May 2026.
The key design and planning function has also been without regular officers with metro or railway experience since January 2022, when the previous arrangement ended. “The function is currently being handled by officials (GMs) whose professional experience does not include metro or railway projects,” a source said on condition of anonymity.
The issue was raised in the assembly by Thrikkakara MLA Uma Thomas on June 24. She expressed concern over the lack of metro or railway experience among officials holding important positions.
“There are mounting complaints that leading persons in authority have no experience either in rail transport. The government should probe such appointments that put the security of the public in question,” she said.
According to the recruitment norms cited for technical positions, senior posts require substantial experience in metro or railway projects, in addition to overall professional experience. Several of the posts require around 12 to 15 years of relevant metro or railway experience and about 20 years of total experience.
It is particularly relevant as KMRL is simultaneously executing a major metro expansion and undertaking detailed project report (DPR) and planning for future projects.
The agency is involved in the operation and maintenance of Phase I, execution of Phase II, implementation of the Kochi Water Metro project, preparatory work for the proposed Thiruvananthapuram Metro, planning of Kochi Metro Phase III and preliminary work related to the Kozhikode Metro.
KMRL has also been entrusted with preparing DPRs for water metro systems in 20 cities across the country. Its responsibilities have expanded further to include feeder-transport services and transit-oriented development projects, including the integrated urban regeneration and water transport system in Kochi.
With KMRL having evolved from a metro rail company into an integrated urban mobility agency handling multiple projects, the continued reliance on temporary arrangements for technical positions has raised questions over whether the organisation has adequate specialised expertise in place for its expanding responsibilities.
Unfulfilled seat
The general manager (GM) (signalling and telecommunication) post has been vacant since June 2025
The GM (projects) position has not had a regular incumbent since April 2024 and is currently handled at the chief engineer level on a temporary basis
The GM (electrical and rolling stock) post has been under temporary arrangement since May 2022 after the holder went on deputation and is currently handled by a retired railway official. The same official is also holding additional charge of GM (operations and maintenance), a post that fell vacant after the incumbent retired in May 2026
