With daily commuters increasing by the day, the Kochi Metro has announced that they have registered an operating profit. This makes it the second metro after Delhi to register a profit, according to KMRL managing director A.P.M. Mohammed Hanish, who told The Hindu, "the operating profit has been approximately Rs 2 lakh since April on most days. We hope the figure will further increase when the metro touches Pettah in January," he said.
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Though the Thykoodam extension has a speed curb of 25kmph, the new stretch has attracted growing traffic, aided by a 50 per cent discount on fares which can be availed up to September 18. From Tuesday, the daily commuter count—according to data provided by the Metro officials—has risen from 39,936 to 65,285 to 71,711 to 83,032 to 95,285 to 89,133 and 91,539 on Sunday. The Kochi Metro offers Rs 120 daily passes and Rs 250 weekend passes.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated the extension at a function presided over by Minister of State for Housing and Union Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri. Earlier, the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety had granted sanction for the new stretch which has a total of five stations—Ernakulam South, Kadavanthra, Elamkulam, Vyttila and Thykoodam.
Foundation stones for constructing the Pettah-SN Junction Section of Kochi Metro and for Kochi Water Metro Project to provide intermodal connectivity between jetties, bus terminals and metro rail were also laid on the occasion. Puri said the government has arranged a sovereign loan from KfW of Germany as external funding for this project.
He said developing the urban transport was crucial since 600 million people would be living in urban areas by 2030. "I have absolutely no doubt, the work which we have done in the area of urban transport, in the area of Metro rail is providing a solid basis for those objectives." "We currently have about 657 km of metro lines which are operational in 18 cities."
"Another 873 km of metro lines, including 82 km of Delhi-Meerut Regional Rapid Rail Transit System, is under construction. With the commissioning of the 5.65-km section from Maharajas College to Thykkoodam, a total of 663 km of Metro rail lines will become operational," he said. The minister recalled his visit to Kochi for the inauguration of 2nd Phase of the Metro project in October 2017, just a month after becoming a minister in the Narendra Modi government.
The first phase was inaugurated by Modi in June 2017. Pinarayi Vijayan said the Kochi Water Metro—first urban transport system in the country—would be commissioned in March 2020. Land acquisition for the Rs 743-crore water metro project is being done at a fast pace, he said.
-Inputs from PTI
