New Delhi: With metro rail services resuming across India from Monday, Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) Hardeep Singh Puri urged people to travel responsibly while adhering to various SOPs issued in different states for metro operations.
Puri was speaking at a video conferencing meeting while inaugurating the Thykoodam-Petta stretch of Kochi Metro (phase I) in the presence of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Puri added that Phase-1 of the Kochi Metro is completed at a cost of ₹6,218 crore.
Puri said that proposal for Phase-2 of Kochi Metro is under active consideration of the central government and it would be approved soon.
The Union Minister along with Kerala Chief Minister flagged off the train from Petta in a virtual inauguration. The commencement of civil works from SN Junction to Thrippunithura by unveiling the plaques was also done. Kerala Ministers, MPs, MLAs, Chief Secretary and senior officials also joined the virtual inauguration.
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This was when we had also laid the foundation stone of the stretch inaugurated today.
— Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) September 7, 2020 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
With this, Phase-1 of the Kochi Metro is now complete at a cost of ₹6218 cr & the proposal for Phase-2 of Kochi Metro is under active consideration of Govt of India & will be approved soon. pic.twitter.com/uJoMQDEuJj
">This was when we had also laid the foundation stone of the stretch inaugurated today.
— Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) September 7, 2020
With this, Phase-1 of the Kochi Metro is now complete at a cost of ₹6218 cr & the proposal for Phase-2 of Kochi Metro is under active consideration of Govt of India & will be approved soon. pic.twitter.com/uJoMQDEuJjThis was when we had also laid the foundation stone of the stretch inaugurated today.
— Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) September 7, 2020
With this, Phase-1 of the Kochi Metro is now complete at a cost of ₹6218 cr & the proposal for Phase-2 of Kochi Metro is under active consideration of Govt of India & will be approved soon. pic.twitter.com/uJoMQDEuJj
With the inauguration of the 1.33 km stretch from Thykoodam to Petta metro, the total operational stretch will be 25.2 Kms.
"From technology, to manpower, to process and functioning, Kochi Metro has been a pioneer. With the commissioning of Petta-Thykoodam stretch, Kochi Metro should be able to increase ridership to over one lakh per day," said Durga Shankar Mishra, MoHUA secretary.
Officials said that Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) is all set to implement Kochi Water Metro Project at the cost of Rs 747 crore with the financial assistance of German Bank, KFW. Kochi is the first city in the country wherein water transport has been integrated as a feeder service to the metro.
Kochi Metro has dedicated walls for the fishermen community who saved thousands during the 2018 Kerala floods. KMRL has engaged persons from the LGBT community in its operations, thus becoming the first organization to appoint transgender persons in the country.
Kochi Metro's other unique feature is its themed metro stations. Based on the core theme of Western Ghats, Kochi Metro has selected various themes such as Kerala's heritage, culture, art etc. For the Petta Metro Station, KMRL has chosen fishing as the theme with a dedication to the fishermen community of the state.
Read: Metro services resume after 169-day hiatus
The Automated Fare Collection (AFC) system is a critical core component of any Metro system. KMRL has developed a unique PPP model where in the capital investment as well as the maintenance cost is taken care by a bank and in return the bank has a co-branded card for Kochi Metro System.
This was the first time such an innovative model was launched and is expected to change funding models for AFC systems in the metro industry globally.
KMRL had completed the works of Petta station in March but the commissioning was delayed due to COVID-19 lockdown.
