Kochi metro inauguration: 5 things you should know

The numbers

Being built at a cost of Rs 5,181 crore, the initial phase of Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL) will cover 25 kms from Aluva to Pettah spanning across 22 stations. An 11 km extension linking the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium in Kaloor to Infopark via Kakkanad, and a 2 km extension covering three stations in Tripunithura have also been approved as phase 2 and the wheels are now in motion for the same.

First tier-II city

Kochi was the first tier-II city in India to be sanctioned a metro rail project. The coaches for the train were made by France-based company Alstom at a facility in Andhra Pradesh. The company had signed on to provide 25 trains to the KMRL, each with a capacity to carry 975 passengers. The trains are capable to ride driverless if a futuristic setup demands so. 

Longest stretch to be opened

KMRL will claim the record for the longest stretch to be opened in India in the inauguration phase of any metro rail project. Usually a 6-8 km stretch is inaugurated in a metro rail’s first phase but the Aluva-Palarivattom line, which opens next month, stretches 13 kms.

A long way in a short time

The Kochi metro is expected to reduce the average travel time from around two hours to just 45 minutes. The initial ridership is estimated at around 1.5 lakh passengers a day, and is expected to rise up to 6 lakh in 10 years.

Connecting 3 modes of transport

After the KMRL decided to shift the Vyttila station to Vyttila Mobility Hub to follow the guidelines of ministry of urban development, it managed to integrate various mode of transport. With long distance bus services operating out of Vyttila hub and the authorities planning a boat jetty near the hub, the KMRL becomes the first metro in the country to connects rail, road and water modes of transport.

• kochi metro
• inauguration
• april