KOCHI: A 9-km journey from Mattancherry to Ernakulam South railway station could take just 15 minutes if a proposed sky metro corridor becomes a reality, former Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) managing director E Sreedharan told TNIE. He has proposed a suspended pod-based transport system for the route.
The proposal comes as Kochi grapples with rising transport demands and the high cost of expanding conventional metro networks. Sreedharan estimates that the sky metro will cost less than `100 crore per kilometre, against more than `200 crore for an elevated metro line. He has urged the Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) to study the system recently installed in Sharjah and prepare a detailed project report (DPR).
“For the spread-out population of Kochi, the metro network needs to expand fast. Conventional metros are becoming very costly for state governments due to the GST component and other taxes. Government subsidies are shrinking while material and land costs are rising. The cost of electricity is also going up,” noted Sreedharan.
He said cheaper and lighter transit systems should be considered for routes where ridership may not be high enough to justify a conventional metro.
The proposed line will begin at the junction of Manthra Road and Santo Gopalan Road near Mattancherry Palace. It will follow Santo Gopalan Road before turning into P T Jacob Road and crossing the Gateway of Cochin Bridge. From there it will pass through Old NH-47 over Venduruthy Bridge to Perumanoor before cutting towards the railway tracks through the alignment of a former railway siding that served Cochin Shipyard. It will then run along the western side of the existing railway line towards Ernakulam South station.
The 9-km stretch will have 10 stations, including the two terminal stations. While supporting pillars can be placed at intervals of 200 to 300 m, the stations are proposed to be spaced precisely 1 km apart.
“Unlike metro trains, the system will use passenger pods suspended from rigid steel girders. The proposed double-rail system will allow individual pods carrying around 16 passengers to travel at speeds of 50 to 60 kmph. The use of rigid girders rather than flexible cables will also allow curves with a radius of up to 40 m,” said Sreedharan.
The proposed line is expected to carry 300 passengers every 15 minutes. This translates to a capacity of 1,200 passengers an hour and 12,000 passengers over a 10-hour operating day.
Sreedharan pointed to the sky metro system recently installed in Sharjah, as a model worth examining. Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari and the then Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar had visited and inspected the system and were highly impressed, he said.
“If a Sky Metro system works successfully in Sharjah, why can’t a similar system work in Kochi? If implemented, the proposal would give Kochi three forms of metro-based transport: the conventional metro, the water metro and the sky metro,” opined Sreedharan.
Sreedharan has called on KMRL to undertake a detailed study of the Sharjah system and prepare a DPR with the assistance of those involved in its implementation.
Cheaper alternative
Sreedharan estimates that the sky metro will cost less than C100 cr per km, against more than Rs 200 cr for an elevated metro line
He has urged KMRL to study the system installed in Sharjah and prepare a detailed project report