Kochi metro starts services to five more stations

TRIVANDRUM: Kochi Metro on Tuesday started services to five more stations linking the lucrative South Railway Station and Vyttila Mobility Hub. With this, the authorities hope to take the company closer to breakeven.

Almost all long-haul trains stop at the south railway junction and buses start from the Vyttila hub. The extended connectivity comes as a great relief for passengers arriving in the city from faraway places.

Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan who flagged off the train also inaugurated the work on ‘water metro” providing last-mile connectivity to commuters in the port city famed for its beaches and backwaters.

Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) managing director APM Mohammed Hanish said he had started paperwork on the 12-km second phase from Palarivattom to the Smartcity-infopark on the eastern part of the city.

In the third phase, the metro will run upto the Cochin International Airport, the biggest in the state a large number of expatriates from the region depend on, and then to Angamaly.

“We currently have a daily ridership of around 45,000, a sharp rise from 25,000 when we started services in June 2017. We expect this number to increase to 70 to 75,000 now with a marginal increase in overheads,” he told The Gulf Today.

“The water metro, which is the first of its kind in Asia, will be the real gamechanger, linking islands of the city to the mainland through metro stations using green technology with German funding.” The KMRL plans to deploy 78 air-conditioned, solar-powered boats with a capacity of 50 to 100 seats. They will cruise along the 78-km length on the backwaters connecting 45 terminals. The work on the Vyttila terminal will begin on Wednesday.

“We hope to launch the services by this time next year,” Hanish said. “Now we are providing seamless metro connectivity from Aluva to Thykoodam covering 21 stations. We’ll run up to Petta by the year-end and to Tripunithura after that, completing the first phase.” The fares start from Rs 10 (Dhs 0.51). It will cost Rs 60 (Dhs 3.05) for a passenger to cover the entire stretch from Aluva to Petta.

The KMRL also offers a 50 per cent discount on fares for a fortnight during the Onam festival season from Sept 04 to 18 by way of cashback on the next trip, besides free parking at all metro locations until Sept.25.