Blueprint for ‘metro neo’ extensions to be revised based on CMP
Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) is awaiting the Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP) for the city to revise its blueprint for the proposed ‘metro neo’ extension along the fourkm MG RoadMenakaPark Avenue RoadHospital RoadMG Road loop line, it is learnt.
The metro agency had mulled metro neo, a mass rapid transport system (MRTS) that can be built at less than a fourth of the cost of conventional metro, in the sixkm Thripunithura Infopark corridor as well.
The aim was to ferry commuters en masse, but with much less capital investment and lower carbon footprint.
The plan will take a comprehensive view of travel needs in the Greater Kochi area, based on which KMRL would take a call on integrating the metro
Commuting needs
It had in 2022 readied a blueprint for metro neo based on among others, data regarding the travelling pattern of commuters, the sources said.
This shed light on commuting needs beyond MG Road to locales like High Court Junction, Marine Drive, the MenakaErnakulam MarketBroadway commercial hub, and the Park Avenue Road which is flanked by Children’s Park, Subhash Bose Park, Rajendra Maidan, a host of educational institutions, and places of worship.
“The CMP will take a comprehensive view of travel needs in the Greater Kochi area, based on which KMRL would take a call on integrating the metro with metro neo, wherever needed. Kochi has much to learn from cities like Brisbane where leading manufacturers have supplied similar systems that are cheaper and sustainable than conventional metro. They have offices in India as well,” the sources added.
Menaka extension
Chairman of Goshree Action Council Majnu Komath spoke of how the initial plan to operate Kochi Metro through Menaka had to be given up and instead routed through MG Road, following opposition from a ‘pressure groups’ in the High Court JunctionRajendra Maidan corridor.
“A metro neo extension through Menaka would benefit thousands of lawyers and others who visit the High Court, people from the Goshree islands those who visit the wholesale markets, nearby walkways and parks in the city hub.”
The metro urgently needs a Menaka extension, especially since bus stops in the area record the maximum number of commuter footfalls, said Adarsh Kumar Nair, retired Joint RTO, who was part of Kochi Metro’s team to integrate the metro with other modes of commute.
“A similar metro neo extension linking Thripunithura and Infopark terminal stations would benefit IT professionals and commuters, including those from Kottayam, Muvattupuzha and Idukki,” he added.