Kochi metro is finally here! Great news for Keralites

Article as appeared in Hindu a few days ago on Kochi metro implementation.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) will implement the Rs.5,182-crore Kochi Metro Rail project with E. Sreedharan as its Principal Adviser. The decision seems to have ended all uncertainties about the implementation agency for the mass rapid transit system and Mr. Sreedharan’s role in it.

A decision in this regard was taken at a high-level meeting between the Centre and the State government, and attended by the Managing Directors of the DMRC and Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL), Mangu Singh and Elias George respectively, and Mr. Sreedharan, here on Tuesday.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, Union Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath said the DMRC would be fully engaged in the implementation of the rail project mooted in 2005 to decongest the State’s commercial capital. This is the first time the administration has allowed the DMRC to go out of the State of Delhi for the full implementation of a project. The Kochi project, he said, will be completed within the shortest possible time. (The Kerala government had announced a three-year time frame for the completion of the project.) The project covers 25.612 km in the Aluva-MG Road-Petta stretch. To persistent queries, the Minister said Mr. Sreedharan would function as Principal Adviser to the DMRC, stationed in Kerala.

He will be delegated responsibilities as determined by the DMRC in consultation with the KMRL.

Kochi Metro Rail Ltd plans to explore more options on water transport as a feeder to the metro rail system.

A Transit Oriented Development Committee will incubate a special purpose vehicle to focus on the development of the city’s waterways, which will be integrated with the metro rail system in Kochi.

This was being done under the aegis of UMTA (Unified Metropolitan Authority) planned to facilitate coordinated planning and implementation of the city’s transportation network, a press release issued here said.

The first meeting of the transit-oriented development committee, constituted by the board of KMRL, was held here and chaired by the Managing Director, KMRL, and Additional Chief Secretary (Transport) Elias George.

As a part of this initiative, it was also decided that the State Water Transport Department will commence trial services along a few urban waterways at Kochi by next month.

“Catalysing transit-oriented development is a key objective of KMRL, in line with the practices followed by modern urban metro systems. The objective is to ensure more balanced urban development away from the city centre as well as the provision of urban facilities close to Metro stations,” he said.

“In terms of transit oriented development, each metro station will act as a node and a catalyst for creating local urban facilities in the vicinity of the station itself,” George added.

It was also decided that a detailed planning exercise would be undertaken to prepare a transit-oriented development plan along the alignment of the Metro line.

This study will be undertaken by NATPAC and UMTC (Urban Mass Transit Company Limited) with the assistance of existing agencies like the Kochi Corporation, GCDA, The Chief Town Planner’s office and other transport related departments.

The engagement of the DMRC will be on cost-plus basis (cost plus mutually agreed consultancy fee). The Minister stressed the need to build (KMRL’s) capacity as he announced that the DMRC will assist it in building up its organisational capacity for executing the metro work and undertaking its operation and maintenance. (The KMRL is expected to take up the proposed extension of the metro rail project to the airport, Ka kkanad, Tripunithura, etc.).