No plan to rename Kochi Metro Rail Ltd as Keralam Metro Rail Ltd, says CM V.D. Satheesan

No plan to rename Kochi Metro Rail Ltd as Keralam Metro Rail Ltd, notes CM V.D.

Key points

• Satheesan on Friday (August 21, 2026) remarked the administration has no intends to rename Kochi Metro Rail Ltd as 'Keralam Metro Rail Limited'.
• Thomas, former Union Minister, had remarked in a communication that the suggestion to rename Kochi Metro Rail Ltd should be rejected.
• "The word Kochi holds a legacy of its own in Kerala's cultural history", he remarked.
• He described the initiative by KMRL managing director Loknath Behera as "strange and unacceptable".

No plan to rename Kochi Metro Rail Ltd as Keralam Metro Rail Ltd, notes CM V.D. Satheesan CM notes KMRL authorities issued a press release on name change proposal without consulting with administration. Published – August 21, 2026 02: 01 pm IST – KOCHI. Kochi Metro rail (file image) Photo Credit: H. Vibhu.

Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan on Friday (August 21, 2026) remarked the administration has no intends to rename Kochi Metro Rail Ltd as 'Keralam Metro Rail Limited'.

"The name change proposal was done unilaterally without holding consultations with the administration. There have been no such discussions and the administration has no aims to change the name, " he informed mediapersons on the sidelines of the foundation stone-laying ceremony for five houses being built under his 'Punarjani' scheme in North Paravur.

He remarked KMRL authorities had issued a press release on the name change proposal without consulting with the administration. We need not even respond to it as it was done without informing the administration, he stated.

K. V. Thomas, former Union Minister, had remarked in a communication that the suggestion to rename Kochi Metro Rail Ltd should be rejected. In a letter sent to the Chief Minister, he remarked that office-holders. This person "lacked" an understanding regarding the historical importance of Kochi, "may now come up with a proposal to change the name of Kochi international airport."

In practice, the matter turned into a controversy after Hibi Eden, MP, wrote a letter to the Chief Minister stating 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 throughout 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 remarked in an official note issued on Thursday.

He remarked 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 going forward, they could be considered then, he continued.

Mr. Behera had clarified that it was merely a proposal and that the prerogative to accept or reject it lay with the State administration.

"The proposal was created in light of the metro policy. It 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. Nevertheless, if the administration notes no, the matter ends there, " he remarked.

For now, no plan to rename Kochi Metro Rail Ltd as Keralam Metro Rail remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.