Gear up for metro ride up to Maharaja College from October 3

The Kochi Metro Rail’s second stretch, from Palarivattom to Maharaja’s College, will be commissioned on October 3.
A night view of the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium Station | albin mathew
A night view of the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium Station | albin mathew

7KOCHI: The Kochi Metro Rail’s second stretch, from Palarivattom to Maharaja’s College, will be commissioned on October 3.Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s office confirmed his availability for its inauguration.“We’ve confirmed the Chief Minister’s availability for October 3. We’re waiting for the nod from the Union Minister’s office for finalising the date for the commissioning of the stretch between Palarivattom and Maharaja’s,” said KMRL Managing Director Elias George.


Five new stations -- Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kaloor, Lisie, M G Road and Maharaja’s College -- will thus be added to the existing 11. The fare for travelling from Aluva to Maharaja’s will be Rs 50.
At present, it costs Rs 40 for travelling from Aluva to Palarivattom. While that fare stage will be applicable up to JN Stadium from now onwards, it will be Rs 50 till Maharajas. 

The Kochi Metro station near Jawaharlal Nehru
Stadium getting decked up for inauguration on
October first week | Albin Mathew


The KMRL plans to roll out monthly cards on discount rates for regular commuters. It will give a 40 per cent off for regular passengers, enabling them to travel from Aluva to Maharajas for Rs 30.DMRC authorities said the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) would carry out safety inspection on the new stretch on September 21 and 22. The principal adviser to DMRC, E Sreedharan, recently inspected it and expressed satisfaction. A DMRC officer said the theme-based interior works will be done after the launch of commercial service.

KMRL had made it clear it wanted to open the new stretch before the kick-off of FIFA U-17 World Cup matches in Kochi. The agency also hopes for an increase in commuters after extending the Metro service’s to Maharaja’s.
Change in schedule
The delayed service schedule of Kochi Metro will continue till September 18 due to the testing of the train and new software in the stretch between Aluva and Maharaja’s. The services will start at 8 am instead of  6 am. On September 18, services will start only at noon.“Since passenger traffic is very minimal during 6 am to 8 am, we hope it won’t affect the passengers significantly,” said a KMRL statement.

Kakkanad extension
Regarding news reports on the Centre denying Kochi Metro service extension plans to Kakkanad,  George said, “As per the policy, the state government will have to devise plans for alternate revenue generation in connection with metro projects as they can’t bank on ticket revenue alone. We’ve conveyed our views in this regard to the State government and discussions were held at the capital City the other day,” said George.“Not only Kochi Metro, but the Centre has also turned down  15 other metro rail proposals. It wants the projects to be in tune with the new policy. Hence we’ll resubmit the proposal within a month,” said George.

5 new stations

J N Stadium, Kaloor, Lisie,
M G Road, Maharaja’s
L50 will be the fare for travelling from Aluva to Maharaja’s
40% discount will be offered by the KMRL in its monthly cards for regular commuters

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