Four lakh to use Kochi Metro Rail

September 30, 2011 |By Krishna Kumar K. E. |DC |Kochi

Confident of completing the Kochi Metro project by 2015, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is expecting initial traffic of nearly four lakh commuters daily.

“As per the feasibility aspect, the Kochi Metro (with an approx length of 25 km) will carry about 3.8 lakh passengers in 2015. The project has already been approved by the state government and we expect the Centre to give its nod soon,” DMRC managing director, Mr E. Sreedharan said.
Initially, trains with a capacity of 600 passengers will be run on the Aluva-Petta corridor. The Rs 4,427-crore project recently cleared a major hurdle when the Planning Commission gave an in-principle clearance to the mass rapid transport system that was mooted over five years ago to decongest Kochi.
The official expressed concern over the delay in implementing the project, with the preliminary work having finally started last month.

“Even one line, for which the Detailed Project Report was prepared long back, is still to be implemented,” he said. Meanwhile, the possibility of linking the IT hub of Kakkanad with the proposed metro route was not in the present scheme of DMRC. “As regards connection of Metro to Kakkanad area, so far it is not planned… Based on traffic needs, technical and financial viability, Metro connection to other areas may be considered in future,” he said.
State government had considered extending the Aluva-Pettah corridor to Kakkanad to benefit IT professionals.

The proposal came in the wake of the decision to complete the first phase of Smart City by October 2012. Meanwhile, another official said a special team had been constituted for project land acquisition, which will be completed in 10 months.