KOCHI: For nearly a decade, the proposed project to directly connect Ernakulam Junction (South railway station) with the Ernakulam Town (North) railway station, without having to circumnavigate the city, has remained a non-starter. However, with the state government set to allocate funds for a new KSRTC terminal at Karikkamuri, renewed hope for the 2-km road project has sprung up.
“The project can be easily revived in the future since majority of the land required for it, aside from the government land, is under the possession of KSRTC and the railways,” said Kochi mayor Adv Anil Kumar.
The KSRTC stands to benefit from the road project as the new terminal is coming up at Karikkamuri, close to the South railway station. “If this project becomes a reality, it will make it easier for KSRTC buses to enter and leave the proposed new terminal. The KSRTC has already informed the authorities of its willingness to part with a 10-m wide road stretch (near Vivekananda Road) owned by it at Karikkamuri,” a top KSRTC official said.
According to the mayor, the Kochi corporation had already prepared a draft plan and path alignment for the road project. “Though most of the land to be acquired for the project was government-owned, it involved private plots as well. The chief secretary had also promised to initiate talks with railways. However, it did not make much headway then. There is scope for reviving the initiative, with the realisation of projects like the new bus terminal,” Anilkumar said.
A road connecting the KSRTC depot to the South station already exists. The railways had even agreed to issue a No Objection Certificate for activities such as construction, survey and development on the remaining stretch, including the stretch behind the Ambedkar Stadium.