Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) has floated the design-and-build contract tender to construct the 11.2-km viaduct for Kochi metro’s Kakkanad extension and 10 stations en route.
The technical bid for the metro’s Phase-II extension to Kakkanad, christened the Pink Line, will be opened on October 27, while the work will be awarded to the successful bidder by mid-November. The civil construction work for the ₹1,957-crore extension would be completed in 20 months, and the system and signalling works would get over in another four months, KMRL Managing Director Loknath Behera said here on Friday.
“Aimed at completing the 11.2-km metro extension in 24 months, we will commence the viaduct work at six locations and four station sites simultaneously. In addition, unlike in Phase-1, the pre-cast method of constructing stations will be adopted, to save time. For this, a six-hectare pre-cast yard has been identified on HMT premises at Kalamassery,” he added.
A pair of 60-metre-long open-web steel structures similar to the one near S.N. Junction at Thripunithura will be built at the spot where the metro viaduct will cross the NH Bypass at Palarivattom and in front of St. Martin’s Church from where the metro extension will be diverted towards Palarivattom. Passengers will be able to gain direct entry to the platform at four metro stations, thus reducing access time. Efforts are also on to explore the feasibility of having platform screen gates, for enhanced safety.
Traffic diversion
Speaking about traffic diversion and allied matters when barricades are erected at eight-metre width on the arterial Civil Line Road and other corridors, Mr. Behera said vehicles would be diverted through the 5.5-metre carriageway on both sides of the road. Light motor vehicles will be diverted through alternative routes that have been identified, during peak hours. The Regional Transport Authority (RTA) will shortly notify such roads, the list of which KMRL has handed over to the agency.
Approximately 100 boards will be installed to guide motorists, including through alternative roads. Bottlenecks to smooth movement of diverted vehicles, such as posts and other obstructions, will be removed.
Land acquisition
On land acquisition that was held up for long owing to the delay on the part of the government in sanctioning funds, he said all private spaces for the station entry structure would be completed by November. The metro agency has received permissive sanction for government land.
The metro stations will be sleeker than their Phase-I counterparts, with limited commercial spaces, mainly due to paucity of land. Multi-level parking options will be explored near metro stations to cater for commuter vehicles. This will be in addition to vacant private land where parking will be encouraged. A list of such plots is ready.
Funding
Elaborating on the funding pattern, Mr. Behera said the funding agency, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), was expected to give ₹1,016 crore for the project as loan for 3% to 3.5% interest, while ₹47 crore would be pooled in as public-private partnership (PPP) mode for infrastructure such as automatic fare collection gates. The Centre will give ₹339 crore and the State government ₹555 crore. There will be a five-year loan repayment moratorium, while the amount will be repaid in 10 years, as per the tentative plan.
Daily footfall in the metro is expected to increase to 1.1 lakh once the S.N. Junction-Thripunithura extension is commissioned by December. It would further increase when the extension to the IT hub of Kakkanad was commissioned by November-December 2025, said Mr. Behera.
All tickets will be digital in the Phase-II extension. Systra and Systra MVA consortium has been appointed as general consultant to supervise and monitor the extension work. Egis India is the detailed design consultant. A competition will be held for interior and exterior design of metro stations. The last date to register for the competition is September 5.
