People waiting to board Kochi Metro at the Palarivattom station Monday morning. Photo: OnmanoramaKochi: The Kochi Metro threw open its doors for general public on a buoyant note Monday, overriding concerns about a shutdown in the district against a proposed LNG Terminal.
The metro services began at 6: 00 am from Palarivattom and Aluva, though confusion regarding taking tickets and finding their way to the elevated corridor of the Rs 5,200-crore metro resulted in many enthusiastic passengers being unable to get into the first train from Palarivattom.
People onboard the Kochi Metro. Photo: OnmanoramaRead this if you are planning to take a ride on Kochi Metro
Kochi Metro goes on thanksgiving mode, gives a joy ride to its workers
The hartal was called by a local collective to protest the police action on restive natives of Puthuvype, demanding scrapping of the Indian Oil Corporation's proposed LNG Terminal in their locality.
People turned up early Monday morning to take their first ride on Kochi Metro. Photo: OnmanoramaSpecial Sunday: Kochi Metro chugs off on a gifted note | Pix, video
It did not evoke a major response except in some localities where the project affected people.
The 13-kilometer first phase of the metro has 11 stations and covers the distance in 25 minutes.
The minimum fare is Rs 10 and the maximum fare – Palarivattom to Aluva – is Rs 40.
There are two other slabs of Rs 20 and Rs 30.
The Kochi Metro was dedicated to the nation by prime minister Narendra Modi on Saturday.
The metro was thrown open to the public only Monday, but the Kochi Mero Rail Limited (KMRL), which runs the metro, took more than 1,500 other-abled children from 26 institutions run by the social justice department on a jolly ride on Sunday.
More than 900 migrant laborers and their kith and kin also got a free ride in the metro, as KMRL authorities obliged to a request made by chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan during the inaugural ceremony to felicitate the sweat and toil of these faceless workers who made true the dream of this teeming metropolis through their tireless efforts spanning four years.
The construction work of the first phase of the metro, spearheaded by metro man E. Sreedharan, was completed in a record time of four years.
