No ‘central directive’ to change metro company name, clarifies KMRL
Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) has clarified that there is no central directive to rename the company to Keralam Metro Rail Limited. The proposal, which faced significant political backlash, remains a internal recommendation that the state government has no current plans to implement.
Why it matters
The controversy highlights tensions between state-level autonomy and administrative branding in public infrastructure projects.
The Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) has on Saturday (August 22, 2026) clarified that there is no ‘central directive’ behind the proposed change in name to Keralam Metro Rail Limited as reported by a section of the media.
KMRL said no central directive has been issued to any State so far to change the name of a metro company. It is a central guideline that if a State has multiple metro systems across various cities, there should be only one metro rail company.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in