A bird's eye view of Edappally Metro stationKochi: The first ride of the Kochi Metro from Aluva to Palarivattom was a landmark event for Kerala, which has waited almost 15 years for the mass rapid transit system. The Metro was worth the wait for it stands out among the other similar systems in India on many counts.
Kochi Metro would have been another lackluster line running between claustrophobic stations but for the imagination of the people who were entrusted with the project.
One ticket, many rides
A Metro card is a ticket to many modes of transport. You can ride an auto rickshaw, taxi, bus or Water Metro with the same card. The card also doubles up as a debit card, with which you can buy goods and services. The Kochi One smart card can also be carried in a mobile app. The KMRL is working with the Axis Bank to issue the cards without delay. Single-journey tickets can also be bought from the counters at the stations.
The Kochi One app will give you all the details you need before your travel, including travel timings and ticket rates for every mode of transport.
Expanding transport network
Kochi Metro is not just a line of overhead rail. The transit system aims to integrate KSRTC and private buses, auto rickshaws, taxis and Water Metro to give passengers a comprehensive transport network.
Kochi Metro has set in motion a network that will change the face of Kochi. It also depends on feeder services through buses, mini buses and share autos.
Woman power
Kochi Metro has a trusted and efficient workforce to draw from. The Kudumbasree movement in Kerala is ready to lend its services to the Metro. A large group of women work for the smooth running of the Metro. As many as 507 Kudumbasree members have been selected to help out the Metro with its services.
Women are everywhere in the Metro, from pilots to station managers. Housekeeping and parking is also dominated by women workers. Women are also in charge of security, one of the prime attractions of a Metro ride.
Communication-based train control
Kochi Metro has a mind of its own. The transit system is capable of going on autopilot. Still the KMRL has recruited pilots to keep the people in good spirit in an 80 kilometer/hour ride.
Kochi Metro can boast of a communication-based train control system that relies on sensors rather than the signals sent by employees. The technology allows Kochi Metro to run several trains on the same track with more frequency.
The technology has been successfully employed in about 50 Metros outside India for the last 15 years but it is the first time that an Indian Metro benefits from it. A few other Indian Metros have opted for the CBTC but it will be in motion for the first time in Kochi.
Derailing discrimination
Kochi Metro has turned a beacon of hope for the transgender community. Kochi Metro Rail Limited managing director Elias George said: “This is an opportunity for you, an opportunity to gain social recognition.”
Nowhere in India have the transgenders been appointed in a government-controlled entity. The success of Kochi Metro could give them an address in the mainstream. Kochi Metro employs 23 transgenders. Their strength will go up to 60 when the line is extended up to Maharaja’s College. More of them will be employed when the Metro runs up to Tripunithrua.
Blooming pillars
Metro runs on pillars and every sixth pillar will be turned into a vertical garden. Hundred of the 600 pillars between Aluva and Palarivattom will give the city a much-needed green relief.
The Metro garden in Kochi is different from similar attempts in cities such as Bengaluru for they are a collection of plants covering the pillars, not flowerpots hung in small trays around the pillar. Small pipes have been spread under the green cover to water the plants. The vertical garden draws from funds under the Swachh Bharat project.
Arty interiors
Kochi Metro has more joys hidden up. Metro stations in Kochi stands apart among their counterparts in India with their unique decor. Stations are filled with pictures that evoke memories of the lush Western Ghats and point to the unique characteristics of the locality.
The metro rail safety commissioner testified for the uniqueness of Kochi Metro provided by the greenery and imagery of the stations.
The stations always have an air of hygiene. Forget the blank walls which tempt unruly passengers to scribble their names on them and associations to paste their posters. Instead the walls will have beautiful verses highlighting the relevance of environmental conservation.
Water Metro
The Kochi Metro Rail Limited knows its work is far from over. A Metro rail whizzing above the city is not the only thing on the company’s agenda. A Water Metro is in the offing to connect the islands spread out in the vast backwaters.
The Water Metro will cost the company only a fraction of the Metro’s expenses but the novel transport facilities will benefit far more people. No other Metro has gone for such an attempt at integrating surface and water transports. Both the projects are expected to benefit from each other. Water Metro will draw more passengers to Metro.
Metro coaches come with priority seats, LED display and other new features.
