Daily patronage in metro set to cross 1-lakh mark, thanks to hot weather
Dedicated eet of 15 air-conditioned, 32-seat feeder e-buses likely to operate services from June, linking metro stations with locales in suburbs and transit hubs in city; summer vacation helps Water Metro woo families that go for backwater cruises
The daily passenger patronage in Kochi metro is nearing the 1-lakh mark, thanks to commuters preferring to travel in air-conditioned comfort during the unusually sultry weather.
The availability of discounted daily passes, including for students, is being cited as among the reasons.
Ocial sources said that a total of 99,181 passengers travelled in metro trains in the 28-km Aluva-Thripunithura corridor on Saturday. “The daily patronage is in the range of 91,00093,000 [during weekdays], while it crossed 98,000 on Friday. It would cross the 1lakh mark if the trend continued.”
The patronage during morning and evening hours continues to hover higher than normal, while it is more or less the same at noon as during the past month. This was probably because a good share of people prefer to remain home during noon time due to the simmering heat, they added.
Critics have been pointing out how many more commuters would have travelled in the metro, but for the inordinate delay in rolling out the promised eet of feeder e-buses. This is because feeder buses hold the key to ushering in rst and last-mile connectivity in all metro-rail systems that are conned to arterial roads.
Seven years after the metro was commissioned in 2017, Kochi Metro Rail Limited had earlier this year placed orders for a dedicated eet of 15 airconditioned, 32-seat e-buses to operate services from June, linking metro stations with locales in the suburbs and also with other transit hubs within the city. These made-to-order e-buses are expected to lessen commuters’ reliance on private vehicles to reach the 25 stations in the Aluva-Thripunithura metro corridor.
The patronage in Water Metro ferries too is steadily increasing due to the inclement weather, summer vacation when families opt for backwater cruises and also after ferries began to operate in the High CourtFort Kochi corridor from April 21.
While the Water Metro’s Fort Kochi terminal is located at the beachfront, that of the State Water Transport department is located a kilometre away from the beach and the heritage town.
This and the fact that Water Metro ferries are airconditioned too are being attributed as a reason for tourists and commuters opting to travel in the Water Metro, despite the higher fare.