Kochi Metro countdown: Joyriders' to form bulk of initial commuters

KOCHI: Expecting the bulk of initial passengers on the Kochi Metro to be “joyriders” from across the state during the first few months, the Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL) has reached an understanding with the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) to conduct “special festive services” to provide last mile connectivity, especially after 8 pm. The authorities are also planning a campaign to exhort citizens to avoid arriving in private vehicles to enjoy the first ride due to unavailability of parking space at some stations.

“We expect a lot of joyriders to come and experience metro travel along with their families. However, currently, there are only a few city bus services after 8 pm. Hence, we’ve asked the KSRTC to operate during this period, especially based out of Aluva, Edapally and Kalamassery metro stations,” sources said. The metro trains would start services from 6 am daily and would take 20 minutes to cover the 13 km Aluva-Palarivattom stretch. Despite trying hard, the authorities so far could not find vacant lands for parking space at stations like Palarivattom. The 11 stations together on the Aluva-Palarivattom stretch have parking space for 350 cars and 650 two-wheelers only.

Private bus operators too have been roped in to conduct a few services. The KMRL authorities held a meeting with the KSRTC and private bus owners in this regard on Tuesday at its office in Revenue Tower. “The last train from Palarivattom would depart from 10 pm to reach the destination 20 minutes later. Similarly, the last service to Palarivattom side would leave from Aluva at 10 pm. Steps have been taken to ensure adequate last mile connectivity,” they said. Meanwhile, KSRTC managing director M. G. Rajamanickam said the corporation is ready to operate low-floor buses as feeder services with the existing fleet. However, Metro authorities said the corporation was yet to make any commitment in this regard.