Kochi: “This is not just a makeover project. Metro rail will change the face of Kochi. It will even bring about changes in the city's social life. Development that is confined to Kochi will extend outside also. More areas will have quality life,” said KMRL chief Elias George at the stone-laying of Kochi Metro in 2012 September.
The futuristic plan now reaches the climax of its first stage after four years, setting up a new track for life in Kochi.
Metro Rail is not a single-agenda plan to solve the traffic chaos in Kochi. It is a big cultural plan that makes life more enjoyable, reduces pollution and saves national wealth by saving fuel. As quality of life improves in the city, investments will also go up. Kochi gains a place among cities in the country that develop a metropolitan character swiftly.
The Metro train runs 13 kilometers from Aluva to Palarivattom in the first stage. Once the second stage is also over, it will stretch to 25 kilometers, from Aluva to Petta, which takes about two hours by road. It will be a 40-minute journey on Metro rail.
This time saving itself would take Kochi to a different level. Traffic chaos in the city is an everyday torture to travelers. Public transport as well as private vehicles fill the streets at the same time, snarling traffic and raising air and sound pollution as well. Large quantities of fuel also get wasted thus. The Metro rail is expected to change this situation to a great extent.
Work on the project was started on June 7, 2013 and was projected to end in three years. It took an extra year to complete, but agencies involved in the work have adopted meticulous detail to ensure that complaints are minimum. The project shines out among many others that drag on for 10 to 15 years on an average in Kerala.
Other Metro rail services in India:
» Delhi Metro (India's first modern rapid transport system): Delhi Metro Rail Corporation was set up on March 5, 1995. Work started in 1998. Services were launched on December 24, 2002.
» Bengaluru's Namma Metro: South India's first. Project was readied in 1993. Stone was laid on June 24, 2006. Construction started on April 15, 2007. Metro opened on October 20, 2011.