KOCHI (Metro Rail News): Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) plans to start flash butt welding of rails on the Phase 2 Pink Line viaduct next week, after a review of the project chaired by Managing Director G. Priyanka on Wednesday.
The welding machines have reached Kochi and trial welds have been completed. Weld samples will be tested at the Southern Railway laboratory at Arakkonam, and welding of the 18-metre rails will start next week if the results are satisfactory. The Phase 2 viaduct is about 70% complete, and the revised deadline for the project is August 2027.
Phase 2 progress at a glance
| Information | Details |
| Corridor | JLN Stadium to Infopark via Kakkanad (Pink Line) |
| Viaduct progress | About 70% complete |
| Viaduct ready for track | 13 km of track (both lines) |
| Rails received | 2,444 rails of 18 m each, about 44 km (2,700 tonnes) |
| Value of work completed | ₹954 crore |
| Rail welding | Flash butt welding from next week, subject to lab results |
| Revised deadline | August 2027 |
Stations and systems
Structural work is complete on both sides of Chittethukara station, the left side of Kinfra Park station and the right side of Vazhakkala station, and work is progressing at the other stations. Procurement and installation of signalling, telecommunications, lifts, escalators and automatic fare collection is under way.
Kochi Water Metro update
The review also covered Kochi Water Metro. Kochi Water Metro has carried 80.66 lakh passengers in about three and a half years of operation up to 10 November 2026 and can run up to 224 trips a day. Its feeder buses earned ₹45.50 lakh in October.
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| Information | Details |
| Kadamakudy terminal | Construction complete, handed over by the contractor |
| Paliyamthuruth terminal | To be handed over this month; approach roads complete |
| Subhash Park terminal, Ernakulam | Piling under way |
| Edakochi and Varapuzha terminals | Procedures in final stage |
| New boats | Bids for 15 state-funded boats opened, evaluation under way |
| Floating pontoons | All 15 cast, two installed |
| Kakkanad terminal semi-naming | ₹23 lakh from South Indian Bank |
KMRL has also submitted the final detailed project report (DPR) for the Mumbai Water Metro and is preparing a DPR for a water metro in Goa.
Also Read: Kochi Metro Phase 2: Rail Consignment Arrives for 11.2 km Pink Line Corridor
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