Kochi Metro to extend up to Thripunithura

Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES) on Wednesday presented the preliminary report on the extension of Kochi metro to Tripunithara on the southern side of Kochi.

This is a part of the project's second phase. Currently, the rail line stretches from Aluva on the northern side and Petta on the southern side with a distance of 25.6 km.

Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) managing director Elias George said the report had identified the route to Tripunithura through SN junction from Petta along the Kochi- Dhanushkodi national highway. This reach up to SN Junction would be executed at an approximate cost of Rs 200 crore and could also be undertaken as part of the present first phase, he said.

The expansion projects in the second and subsequent phases are proposed up to Angamaly, through the Cochin International Airport, on the north and from Jawaharlal Nehru International stadium at Kaloor to Kakkanad, the city's IT hub as well as to west Kochi .

Extension subsequently from SN junction to other parts of Tripunithura could also fall in the second phase.

RITES will submit their final report soon and the board of directors of KMRL and the state government are expected to provide consequential approvals in due course.

George said the study had found that the proportion of city dwellers using public transport, especially buses, had come down drastically from 70 per cent to 59 per cent in the last 12 years and if a "business as usual" scenario continued, this might the come down to below 50 per cent, leading to further congestion in the city roads. To maintain the share of public transport, new modes of transport like monorails and Kochi metro rail were requisite, the report pointed out.

With the metro rail, the share of public transport can be brought up to 66 per cent. Also, the report has shown that the roads in Kochi cannot take anymore traffic movement unless they are improved.