KOCHI: Basking in the success of water metro services launched a couple of months ago, Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL) Managing Director Loknath Behera is now dreaming bigger. After rail and water metros, Behera wants KMRL to explore the possibility of transporting passengers through a new mode — ‘Air Metro’.
“’Air Metro’ is the next mode of public transportation our researchers need to look at. The concept of air taxis is already a reality. My idea is to introduce something much bigger — carrying more passengers from one point to another just like the other metro services,” Behera told TNIE.
Explaining his idea, the former state police chief of Kerala said ‘air metro’ would be similar to KMRL’s metro rail and water metro. “Take for instance, an air metro service from Kalamassery to Nedumbassery. The entire service will have a separate infrastructure, for taking off and landing. This concept is gaining ground especially in the Middle East. We are already familiar with the concept of drone ambulances, aerial firefighters, etc,” he said
Process will take couple of decades, says KMRL MD
Behera said both the metro services in Kochi operate on sustainable energy—solar. Countries like France, Japan and England are leading the experiments in the transportation sector. “We must explore collaborations in technology in our transportation sector and conduct experiments to find better ways, as other countries do.
Our universities should conduct studies on developing a technology for air metro that can operate on solar energy,” said Behera. He said the ideation, experimentation and other processes will take another one or two decades. “However, such a technology can become a reality. It will transform the face of the public transportation system,” he said.
“Flying technology has been improving over the years. Air metro will use drone-based technology. We have developed unmanned drones, and in the next one or two decades we will have a similar passenger transportation facility,” he said.
“I have seen a conceptual video done by students of the IIT-Delhi who are researching this. They told me that we will have an air ambulance, not like how helicopters are used, but a doorto- door service that can be utilised in an emergency,” said Behera.
According to international news portals, countries like Israel, the US, and China are exploring the possibility of beginning commercial air taxi operations by 2025. ‘The Times of Israel’ reported that Israel earlier this month conducted its first autonomous drones carrying passengers. The Israel Drone Initiative aims to create a drone network across the country.