Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday dedicated to the nation Phase 1B of the Kochi metro, which extends the metro line to Thripunithura. The metro station was dedicated to the nation online by the Prime Minister in Kolkata, where he also inaugurated India’s first underwater metro rail route.
The inauguration marked the completion of the over 28-km metro line between Aluva and Thripunithura, which has 25 stations. The Thripunithura station, where the first phase ends, has been designed in keeping with the cultural heritage of the town just outside Kochi and is meant to attract tourists. The 1.35-lakh sq. ft. metro station will soon house a dance museum.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who addressed the gathering to mark the inauguration of the new metro station, said the success of the Kochi metro highlighted the government’s efforts to provide comfortable, safe and economic mode of transport to ordinary people. He added that the number of passengers using the metro had risen to one lakh a day, a clear example of its mass appeal.
