On record
Kozhikode's transit plans flip-flopped for 15+ years: full metro (2008) to monorail (2012, scrapped 2014 after the sole bidder nearly doubled the cost) to "light metro" (foundation stone laid 2016) to a fresh switch back to full metro announced in the 2025-26 budget, with no line ever built.
The official record states: "The 2014 monorail scrapping cited "cost overrun and the cold response from bidders"; the 2025-26 pivot back to full metro cited component-import costs."
“Metro, monorail, light metro, metro again. Fifteen years of transit planning and not one rail.”— Blunderlust Editorial Desk
Sources
- https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/kmcl-nod-for-light-metro-project/article6531829.ece
- http://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/kerala-opts-for-light-metro-not-monorail-114102400510_1.html
Visitor reviews Satire
“Foundation stone laid in 2016 for a light metro that has since been upgraded back into a full metro that also does not exist.”
“Metro, then monorail, then light metro, then metro again. Kozhikode has been redesigning the same journey since 2008.”
“The only bidder nearly doubled the price and the state called it a cold response. Fifteen years later, still no rail at Malaparamba.”
