Thiruvananthapuram: The proposed Thiruvananthapuram Metro Rail project is set to face another delay, with a fresh technical examination being undertaken following a demand to introduce underground sections along some busy stretches.Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) had submitted the detailed project report (DPR) to Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL), the implementing agency, two months ago. KMRL indicated last month that it would complete its scrutiny and forward the DPR to the state govt. However, the process has now been delayed after Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor sought underground metro sections in densely built-up areas.A technical team from KMRL and DMRC is presently in Thiruvananthapuram to examine the feasibility of incorporating such sections into the proposed alignment. The team is assessing how metro trains can enter and exit underground sections and whether such changes can be accommodated in the existing design.The fresh exercise means KMRL is unlikely to forward the DPR to the state govt within the timeline indicated earlier.KMRL managing director Loknath Behera said the DPR would be submitted to the state govt after DMRC completed its technical scrutiny. “The team is in the city for the feasibility study of the underground section suggested by the MP. So that aspect needs to be considered before finalising the DPR. I cannot say when the DPR will be submitted to the state govt for approval,” Behera told TOI.Tharoor demanded that underground construction be considered along particularly congested stretches, including Karamana-Ulloor and Kazhakkoottam-Akkulam. He argued that underground construction in critical urban areas could reduce traffic disruption, minimise land acquisition and protect the city’s urban character.The 31-km Phase I project envisages connectivity through major locations, including Pappanamcode, Karamana, Thampanoor, Palayam, Medical College, Ulloor, Sreekaryam, Technopark, Akkulam, Kochuveli, airport and Enchakkal. The DPR submitted by DMRC had proposed a fully elevated corridor.Underground metro construction is substantially more expensive than an elevated one and involves additional engineering and geological considerations.For a city that has waited for a metro for more than a decade, the latest development has caused fresh disappointment among commuters and residents.“If every change in the proposal leads to another study and another revision, the people of Thiruvananthapuram will have to wait indefinitely. We need a metro that is properly planned, but we also need the project to move forward without repeated delays,” said N Sreejith, a city resident.The project had gone through several rounds of changes and delays. Earlier, KMRL had to revise the DPR following changes to the alignment and requirements under PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan. Behera had said in June that DMRC would submit the revised DPR to KMRL within two weeks, after which KMRL would examine it before forwarding it to govt.The concern is that once the technical study is completed, any recommendation to modify the alignment could require the DPR to be revised again, followed by another round of scrutiny before it is submitted to the state govt.For thousands of commuters struggling with worsening congestion, the prospect of another delay is frustrating. The underground proposal may address legitimate concerns over traffic disruption and the city’s urban landscape. But stakeholders are now keen to see the technical exercise completed quickly so that the long-awaited metro project doesn’t get caught in another cycle of revision.
