Kerala Seeks Centre’s Backing for RRTS as Sreedharan Unveils Rival Rail Plan

Overview

• Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan wrote to Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal Khattar seeking facilitation of discussions with NCRTC for feasibility studies and a comprehensive RRTS framework.
• The move follows the State Cabinet’s in-principle approval on January 28 to pursue an RRTS as a long-term mobility solution for Kerala’s linear urban corridor.
• The government frames the system as a backbone for unified mobility, connecting the Kochi Metro with planned metros in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode and providing links to major airports.
• The proposed first phase runs from Thiruvananthapuram to Thrissur, with reporting describing a 583‑km build to Kasaragod over 12 years at an estimated cost of about Rs 1.92 lakh crore.
• The State Transport Department has been tasked to coordinate with NCRTC and the ministry, while veteran engineer E. Sreedharan launched a competing plan and called the RRTS impractical and financially unsound.