KOCHI: The ‘Free Ride Day’ announced as part of the anniversary celebrations of the Kochi Metro’s commercial operations saw a huge turnout on Tuesday. According to KMRL authorities, till 7 pm, a total of 1,04,022 people enjoyed the Metro ride between Aluva and Maharaja’s College. The final figure is expected to cross 1.3 lakh passengers.
Right from the morning, the trains were full and they ended up jam-packed during the evening hours. To know the passenger turnout and for accountability, the passengers were issued tickets to their destinations as usual even though the ride was completely free. Parking was also provided for free so that more people could access the Metro.
Though the Kochi Metro was commissioned on June 17 last year, the commercial operations were launched only two days later. The free ride offered to the pubic marked the first anniversary of the commercial operations rather than the high-profile inaugural ceremony attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. KMRL staff also planted saplings inside its maintenance yard in Muttom. The plan is to plant a total of 519 saplings by the end of this week.