The Union cabinet had yesterday given go-ahead to the fully-elevated 'standard gauge' metro link, covering 25.6km from Alwaye to Petta with 23 stations.
The over Rs5,000-crore Kochi metro rail project, sanctioned by the Union Cabinet yesterday, would be completed within 48 months and would integrate the coastal city's roads as well as waterways to provide multi-modal connectivity.
"The project has some special features because of the uniqueness of terrain of Kochi. It also has a multi modal station which will integrate with the bus services as well as the ferry services," Secretary, Urban Development (UD) Ministry, Sudhir Krishna told reporters here.
"So you get down from the metro and if you are living at some distance on an island, take a ferry and go to your island," he said.
The Union cabinet had yesterday given go-ahead to the fully-elevated 'standard gauge' metro link, covering 25.6km from Alwaye to Petta with 23 stations.
The cost of the project would be Rs5,181.79 crore and like in the case of Delhi Metro, Japan International Cooperation Agency would be approached for funding, Krishna said.
The Phase I of the Kochi metro was expected to be complete within 48 months. The secretary also gave details of the proposed fare structure for the Kochi metro.
For a travel up to a distance of 2km a fare of Rs10 would be charged while Rs13 would be the fare for 2 to 4km distance. The maximum fare as per the present proposal is Rs30 for travel up to a distance of 24 to 30km, Krishna said.
The Urban Development secretary said that for the Kochi metro network a 50:50 partnership company between the Centre and the state government would be set up.
The cabinet has approved the proposal as per which a Special Project Vehicle or SPV company will be launched for the implementation of the Kochi Metro project, Urban Development Secretary Sudhir Krishna said.
The Urban Development Secretary would be the ex-officio chairperson for the SPV while a full time Managing Director would be appointed by the state government, Krishna said.
The Urban Development Secretary said 5 directors each would be nominated by the state and the central governments on board of the SPV.
Kerala government would also form a high-powered committee which would assist the Kochi Metro project in acquisition of land, rehabilitation and ensuring alternative arrangements for public utilities during construction, Krishna said.
"The land required for the project totally is 31.92 hectares of which is government land 9.38 hectares is government land and the remaining is private land which needs to be acquired," Krishna said.
He also added that all clearances related to environment would be obtained, while there was no heritage structure that would be affected by the new metro line.
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