KOCHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone for Kochi Metro’s Phase-2 on Thursday, clearing uncertainties regarding the Centre’s nod for the 11.2-km-long stretch from JLN Stadium to Infopark in Kakkanad.
In a surprise announcement, Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL), which operates the metro, said the PM — who will reach Kochi on Thursday for the commissioning of INS Vikrant, India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier, a day later — will lay the foundation stone for the crucial phase-2 stretch. The Kerala cabinet had approved construction work under the new phase back in July 2018. The estimated cost at the time was Rs 2,310 crore.
However, the fate of the corridor became uncertain when the Union government did not greenlight the stretch in the past four years.KMRL had invited tenders for consultancy service in February 2021. However, in the absence of the central nod, doubts lingered.
As per the plan, the phase-2 corridor will have 11 stations. Phase 1 and 2 networks will link residential and commercial hubs of Kochi with major transit points like railway stations and bus stands, reinforcing the concept of multi-modal integration and first-last-mile connectivity.
On Thursday, Modi will also inaugurate two more stations of Kochi Metro Phase 1 – Vadakkekotta and SN Junction – at the function at CIAL trade fair and exhibition centre in Nedumbassery. Governor Arif Mohammed Khan and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will be in attendance.
The opening of Vadakkekotta and SN Junction will take the total number of stations on phase-1 to 24 and the distance to 27km. Work on the two stations as well as Panamkutty bridge began on October 16, 2019. Construction of the final stretch of phase 1A, from SN Junction to Tripunithura, is on.
The Metro Rail Safety commissioner had inspected the Petta-SN Junction stretch in June and given the nod for starting revenue operations.A Kochi Metro official said revenue operations of the two new stations will begin at 7pm on Thursday, soon after the PM dedicates them to the public. Kochi Metro is expecting its average daily ridership to rise to one lakh.
Spread over 4.3-lakh sq ft, Vadakkekotta is the biggest metro station in Kochi and will have large commercial spaces inside and outside. Kerala’s role in the freedom struggle will be the theme of Vadakkekotta station. SN Junction will have ayurveda and its modern approaches as the themse.
As part of preparatory works in line with Phase-1 extension, Kochi Metro constructed the two-lane Panamkutty bridge with a footpath, transforming the stretch into a four-lane corridor. The bridge was opened to the public in February last year.
11 stations in phase-2