Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL) is set to seek the government’s nod for its Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP) under which 13 mobility hubs are planned in the district to complement the Metro corridor. As per the conceptual plan, a major hub would come up at Thevara while one more inter-modal transportation mobility hub would be developed at Aluva besides the existing Vytilla Hub.
The remaining ten intermediate hubs are proposed at Cherai, Paravoor, Ankamaly, Perumbavoor, Kakkanad, Tripunithura, Puthotta, Aroor, Fort Kochi and Vypeen. “The project aims at developing a sustainable urban transport over a 20-year period. While the main three hubs will facilitate commuters to change various modes of transport involving Metro, transport and private buses and boats, the remaining hubs will see feeder buses operating to the nearest metro station in addition to the KSRTC/KURTC and private buses,” a senior official said.
KURTC has announced that with the assistance of German funding agency, KfW, they will take up the city bus and feeder bus services which are a part of Kochi Metro’s integrated transportation program. KURTC plans to introduce 786 CNG and electric powered buses that will serve the Kochi Metro’s integrated transport model as feeder buses plying from the metro stations to other transportation hubs as well as city buses that will ply to various routes across Kochi. The project will be carried out at a cost of Rs.560 crore. Officials from KfW, KURTC and Kochi Metro Rail Ltd. were present in the meet.
The concept CMP plan was prepared by the Urban Mass Transit Company Limited after preliminary studies. The study by UMTC found Aluva as being suitable for the next mobility hub providing integration of multiple modes of public transport and proposes a private bus stand near the Aluva Metro station as the ideal location. “We are submitting the plan for the state government’s approval and once we get it, a request for proposal (RFP) will be floated to prepare the Detailed Project Report,” the official said.
The conceptual plan lays special focus on resolving the traffic congestion in Aluva Town. “As per the proposal, all intra-city and inter-city bus movement, currently through the town area, will be restricted and the current private bus terminal near Aluva metro station will be developed so as to accommodate all private and KSRTC buses. The current KSRTC stand will then have more space and could also act as a feeder bus terminal,” the official said.
