The Public Works Department (PWD) will soon appoint an agency to study the feasibility of setting up integrated multi-modal transport hubs in the state.
The hubs will be set up initially in Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode. Public Works Minister V K Ibrahim Kunju said six consultants had already been shortlisted for the study. Public Works Project Director K J Joseph said 29 agencies had expressed interest in conducting the study.
“The EoI was called in April. Currently, we have shortlisted six agencies to conduct the study. We have asked them to submit their proposals to us. The study is expected to be completed within three months. The most feasible project will be implemented thereafter,” he said. Deloitte had earlier submitted a study on how and what the pre-requisites of such a system would be if it were to be implemented in the state. The agency had pointed out the need to upgrade passenger boat jetties, development of multi-level parking at railway stations and bus depots.
“However, the study was general and did not go to the specifics. Sources within the department said a detailed study is a pre-requisite since Kerala has a lot of departments and coordination among these departments is an issue. If road, rail, air and water has to be coordinated, it is a tough task. A detailed study is required for this,” the officials said.
Once the system is implemented, it will pave the way to faster and more efficient mode of transport. Single ticketing system will be introduced as part of the project. “This means that a passenger who takes a ticket from Mumbai and wishes to travel to Idukki, can use the ticket (or the credit card) to reach his destination. The card could be utilised for any mode of transport. The passenger need not waste time for taking tickets after he gets down at a railway station or a boat jetty,” he said. The proposal gained prominence during the infrastructure conference held at Kochi recently, the Works Minister said.
“There are suggestions to set up a single transport authority at state level to regulate these activities. Agencies shortlisted for conducting the study are Lea Associates, South Asia Pvt Ltd, Feed Back Infrastructure Services Pvt Ltd, Urban Mass Transport Company Ltd, Egis India Consulting Engineers Pvt Ltd, L and T Ramboll Consulting Engineers and Voyants Solutions,” said Works Chief Engineer Raveendran.
