Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the extended stretch of the first phase of the Kochi Metro Rail project from Petta to SN Junction on Thursday.
The total length of the elevated stretch is 1.8 km. It will have two stations, as per the Kochi Metro.
The prime minister will also lay the foundation stone for the 11.2 km long Phase-2 stretch of the Kochi Metro from JLN stadium to Infopark in the presence of chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
The total estimated cost of the Phase-2 project is around Rs 1,950 crore. It will have 11 stopovers.
Kochi Metro Rail Limited is a joint venture of the government of India and the government of Kerala.
Kochi Metro Rail project will be one of the most sustainable metro projects in the country with nearly 55 per cent of its energy needs being met by solar power, as per the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
“The inauguration and foundation laying are part of the metro revolution taking place in the country under the Modi government,” said high-ranking government officials.
Presenting a then-and-now picture of metro networks in India, the officials said that urban rapid rail services have spread to 20 cities from five since PM Modi took over the reins of the country.
“In 2014, the total metro network in the country was 248 km. Today, the total metro network is 775 km. Another 1000-km of the metro network is under construction,” they pointed out.
Prime Minister Modi will also inaugurate a project for doubling and electrification of a railway stretch in Kerala later in the day.
He will also lay the foundation stone for the re-development of three railway stations, besides flagging off the inaugural run of trains from Kottayam to Kollam in the state.
On a two-day visit to Kerala and Karnataka, PM Modi will visit Sri Adi Shankara Janma Bhoomi Kshetram, the holy birthplace of Adi Shankaracharya, at Kalady village near Cochin Airport this evening.