Proposal to rename Kochi metro runs into rough weather

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The proposal by Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) to the State government to rename it ‘Keralam Metro Rail Limited’ appears to have run into rough weather after Ernakulam MP Hibi Eden sent an urgent missive to the Chief Minister opposing the move.

Mr. Eden insisted that no decision on the name change should be taken without consensus and demanded that the existing name be retained. He described the initiative by KMRL managing director Loknath Behera as “strange and unacceptable”.

“Using KMRL’s expertise for planning and executing urban transport projects across the State is a matter of pride, but it should be done without altering the company’s name. The assessment that the existing name is not suitable for KMRL’s expanding operational area is misplaced. Forcing an arbitrary decision without historical perspective on a matter that calls for attentiveness is unacceptable,” Mr. Eden said in a statement issued here on Thursday (August 20, 2026).

Mr. Behera, meanwhile, clarified that it was merely a proposal and that the prerogative to accept or reject it lay with the State government. “The proposal was made in light of the metro policy, which requires a single, common name when multiple metro projects come up in the same State. There are precedents in Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. Since we are finalising a detailed project report for the proposed metro project in Thiruvananthapuram, and with the State having received its new name, Keralam, it was felt that a name change was timely. However, if the government says no, the matter ends there,” he said.

Mr. Eden maintained that there was no need for a premature name change in anticipation of future metro projects. If demands for separate names linked to specific locations arise in the future, they could be considered then, he added.

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