A decision on whether Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode need conventional metro, light metro, or metro neo will depend on the expected number of passengers on the alignment each hour, Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) Managing Director Loknath Behera has said.
As per the norms of Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), an average of over 15,000 passengers are needed to justify a conventional metro system, while light metro is recommended for anything between 10,000 to 15,000 passengers. Metro neo, which can be built as an elevated structure, would suffice if it is less than 10,000. Each kilometre of them would cost approximately ₹200 crore, ₹150 crore, and ₹60 crore respectively, he told the media here on Friday.
The State Cabinet had on Wednesday directed KMRL to ready a detailed project report (DPR) for light metro and metro neo projects for the two cities and also execute them. It was also vested with the task of constructing flyovers at Pattom, Uloor, and Sreekaryam in Thiruvananthapuram.
An approximately 39-km loop structure has been recommended for Thiruvananthapuram and a similar 26-km one for Kozhikode. The construction time of the elevated viaducts can be reduced (vis a vis Kochi Metro), since new technologies have emerged. A conventional metro train would be able to carry 900 passengers and a light metro train 700 passengers, Mr. Behera said.
Kochi Metro
On the delay in commissioning the Kochi Metro’s 1.80-km Pettah-SN Junction extension over two months after the Commissioner for Railway Safety issued a safety certificate, he said MoHUA is expected to announce a convenient date.
Water Metro
The Water Metro can be commissioned in the first week of October, if everything goes well. The fifth ferry that the Cochin Shipyard handed over to KMRL is undergoing test runs, he added.
