Kochi: Soon the services of the Kochi Metro will be available till Thykoodam which is on the outskirts of the city. The Maharaja’s College Ground –Thykoodam stretch of the Kochi Metro is expected to be ready for service on June 30. However, the Metro will reach Pettah, which lies a few kilometers from Thykoodam only by March, 2020.

The new extension will connect the South Railway Station and Vyttila Mobility Hub with the metro route. With this, the public can make use of the metro trains to traverse the city from one side to the other without getting caught in traffic jam. People can leave their private vehicles at Aluva or Vyttila and use the metro to reach the heart of the city quickly and get their business done without getting caught in the endless rows of traffic. However, the Kochi Metro can completely fulfill its aim only when the route reaches Tripunithura.

For the Kochi Metro to be made truly useful to the public, it has to provide connectivity with the important centres in the city. At present, the metro trains run from Aluva till Ernakulam Maharaja’s College Ground station.

New stations

At present, the Kochi Metro issues tickets only to 16 stations located along the 18 km between Aluva and Ernakulam Maharaja’s Ground Station. From June 30 onwards, six new stations will added to this list – Ernakulam South, Kadavanthra, Elamkulam, Vyttila and Thykoodam. By next March, the Metro will cover Pettah as well, extending the total length of the rail to 25 km from Aluva.

Train tests on

A total number of 25 trains are required for the daily service rom Aluva to Pettah, out of which 13 trains are required for the Maharaja's College Ground-Pettah route alone. Six rakes have already arrived, with the test drive of four of them already over. The test drive of the rest two rakes is taking place now. The remaining six trains are expected to arrive soon, and with that Kochi Metro will have 25 trains in all.

Challenging work over

Watching the slow pace of work, it was doubted whether the Maharaja’s–Thykoodam stretch could ever be completed by June. However, the considerable progress made in the work recently ensures that the Metro will reach Thykoodam on June 30.

With the construction of the balanced cantilever bridge at Ernakulam South getting completed on time, the most challenging part of the construction is over. Another major challenge was the completion of the Vyttila overbridge and the laying of the Metro rails along the overbridge and this work is also nearing completion. The remaining work could certainly be finished on time.

There are 273 pillars between Maharaja’s College Ground and Pettah and 271 till Thykoodam.

The 18-feet-high crossover viaduct will soar over the Vyttila Junction carrying the rails across the hectic traffic. The work of the pillars is 75% done and the laying of the bridges almost 40% over. The interior works in station buildings have progressed almost 50%, and 40% work of the roof is over.

Almost 70% construction of the 5.94 km of Metro Rail from Maharaja’s College Ground station to Pettah has already been completed, without counting the interior decoration. However, that too is expected to be over soon as all the works are getting done simultaneously.

Pettah– Tripunithura

After the metro rail reaches Pettah, it will be extended 2 km to S.N. Junction, Tripunithura, by December, 2020. There will be two stations in this stretch – North Fort Gate and S.N. Junction. There is also a proposal to extend the Rail till Tripunithura Railway Station, but no final decision has yet been taken on this proposal.

The Pettah – Tripunithura Route will cost Rs. 335.56. But the construction of a new bridge at Pettah will not be an easy task as the river at Pettah is broader than at Chambakkara. The present Pettah Bridge is not broad enough, which will also cause a problem during construction.

The Pettah–Tripunithura stretch will be the first independent responsibility of the Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL), while the work till Pettah so far was conducted by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC).

‘More passengers, more income’

With the Kochi Metro reaching Tripunithura, an increase of 20,000 passengers, which will increase the revenue, is expected. This will be the first step for making the Metro profitable. The first phase of the Kochi Metro is from Aluva to Pettah. Only when this whole stretch is competed will the full impact of Metro Rail in Kochi’s traffic could be experienced. With the public transport getting streamlined, the unending traffic jams in the city is expected to be alleviated, providing better traffic options, Muhammed Hanish, MD, KMRL said.

Chambakkara Bridge

The major reason for the holdup in completing the rail to Pettah is the delay in the construction of Chambakkara Bridge. The new bridge, now getting built near the old Chambakkara Bridge is getting completed. This will be an arch bridge like the Marthandam Bridge at Aluva. The concreting of the bridge will begin soon. The approach roads are getting completed. The construction of the arch is over. Most probably, the bridge will be ready for traffic by next month.

The metro rail work in this section could be started only after diverting the traffic through the new bridge. The old bridge has to be used for the work. After the metro work is completed, the old bridge will make way for a new one, creating a four-lane-bridge like the Ernakulam North Railway Over Bridge. This will greatly alleviate the traffic snarls at Chambakkara and by that time the metro is also expected to reach Pettah.