PM to open hi-tech, inclusive Kochi Metro: 5 points

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Kochi Metro today, along with other dignitaries The first phase comprises a 13 km stretch between Aluva and Palarivattom. Kochi Metro will start the Revenue operations on June 19

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will enjoy a ride on Kochi Metro today, along with dignitaries including Governor P Sathasivam, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu. 

Watch: Kochi Metro: This noble gesture has left Kerala awed

'Metro man' E Sreedharan, Urban Development Secretary Rajiv Gouba, Kerala Chief Secretary Nalini Netto and KMRL MD Elias George will also travel with Prime Minister during his maiden journey in Kochi Metro from Palarivattom to Pathadippalam.

Before boarding the train, Modi will cut the ribbon at Palarivattom station. He will reach Palarivattom Metro station at 10.35 am. 

Yogesh Saini and Sumit Kumar will be the Train Operators for PM's journey, a KMRL spokesperson said. Pawan Kumar and Anil Kumar will be there supporting them from the drivers' cabins. 

After the train ride, the dignitaries will come to JLN Stadium, Kaloor and the public event will start. 

Here are five points to know about Kochi's Metro: 

• The first phase comprises a 13 km stretch between Aluva and Palarivattom. Kochi Metro will start the Revenue operations on June 19, Monday from 6 am onwards, the spokesperson said. The trains will start from Aluva and Palarivattom from 6 AM simultaneously and finish the day's ride at 10 PM at Aluva. 

• Claimed to be the country's first integrated multi-model transport system, it is expected to improve regional connectivity and ease the traffic congestion in Kochi, the commercial hub of Kerala. The state government had recently given clearance for extension of phase II of Kochi Metro from Jawaharlal Nehru stadium to Infopark.

• A unique aspect of metro stations will be the deployment of members of Kudumbasree - the women empowerment-oriented, community-based, poverty reduction self-help group project of the Kerala government- for managing the station operations. Kudumbasree will provide a vast array of services from customer relations, crowd management, housekeeping and catering services, which once operational, will be the largest crew of women to be employed by any metro.

• KMRL has also included the LGBT community in its operations along with Kudumbashree, thus becoming the first organisation to appoint transgenders as per the state government's transgender policy.

• Kochi will come closer to ushering in driver-less rides with a communication-based train control (CBTC) system, the first in India. To begin with, seven trains with CBTC technology will run on the Aluva-Palarivattom corridor. A total of nine trains are equipped with the technology, provided by French company Alstom. The technology controls the movement of trains, allowing them to run at higher frequencies and speeds with greater safety, a Kochi Metro spokesperson said.