Metro will be surely a hit without doubt! Even here in bangalore around 10000 buses are there in road then also metro is a big hit. Think almost all roads in bangalore are 4 line one way traffic. More busses = more traffic jam+polution.


Reading a lot of fiction, eh?

Metro a hit in Bangalore? It is to be inaugurated only tomorrow, and you are already saying its a hit??

And 10000 buses on road? The BMTC fleet strength is only around 6000 buses!

https://picasaweb.google.com/103152673601330932411/October82011
More busses = more traffic jam+polution.

I dont agree to this. More buses(comfortable) means, people will avoid their personal vehicles ->less traffic jam

Reading a lot of fiction, eh?

Metro a hit in Bangalore? It is to be inaugurated only tomorrow, and you are already saying its a hit??

And 10000 buses on road? The BMTC fleet strength is only around 6000 buses!


Hit means - before start running also we can say that; from the response of bangalorians! Tell me if it is not hit do they allow almost all main roads to barricade and do the work 24/7 ? and plan for phase 3 without seeing whether it is economically viable?

I had been in Kuala-lumpur for 5 years and all modes of urban transportation is there! hanging train, mono,metro,airport express, normal electric train etc.. and out of it metro is the most hit due to automation and comfort levels. Bangalore metro is more modern with lot of parking, escallators, ram for disabled, skywalk in maain stations etc..

10000 buses is reality only. around 7000 buses are there bmtc itself. ksrtc,private ,company buses etc also tobe counted as I meaned public transport. More buses mens comfort only if enough infrastructure is in place like wide roads, interchanges,flyovers. Otherwise, think it! pl crosscheck it with cochins 1000+ buses!

Also I mentioned this against metro rail not against private vehicles.

Reading a lot of fiction, eh?

!

You guessed it correctly!
Pl see below links you also love it!
http://www.manoramaonline.com/cgi-bin/MMOnline.dll/portal/ep/malayalamContentView.do?tabId=11&programId=1073753761&BV_ID=@@@&contentId=10269979&contentType=EDITORIAL&articleType=Malayalam%20News

http://www.popsci.com/node/56925
http://www.popsci.com
http://www.newscientist.com/
http://www.sciencedaily.com/
http://www.theregister.co.uk/

Lets please have a discussion based on facts, than fiction.

Hit means - before start running also we can say that; from the response of bangalorians! Tell me if it is not hit do they allow almost all main roads to barricade and do the work 24/7 ? and plan for phase 3 without seeing whether it is economically viable?


Awesome finding. Do you think the approval of people were taken before works on Metro commenced? I was in Bangalore during the period the work commenced - and I still remember the way people responded. Even Kochi metro has plans for extension to any place you can think of - but the authorities concerned themselves say the metro is unlikely to sustain on itself.

Bangalore metro is more modern with lot of parking, escallators, ram for disabled, skywalk in maain stations etc..


Another joke - I have interacted enough with the MD of BMRCL, and can confidently say that none of these really exist in BMRCL stations. Parking is only a dream for now - except for Baiyyappanahalli station. Escalators and ramps for the disabled no way make them modern - Mumbai suburban system had ramps a good 10 years back. Bangalore City station has an elevator since long - and they work 75% of the time as well. (A record considering this is at a government institution)


10000 buses is reality only. around 7000 buses are there bmtc itself. ksrtc,private ,company buses etc also tobe counted as I meaned public transport. More buses mens comfort only if enough infrastructure is in place like wide roads, interchanges,flyovers. Otherwise, think it! pl crosscheck it with cochins 1000+ buses!


While you compare Bangalore to Kochi, please also take into account the population of the two cities (or UAs as you please).

I wouldn't agree to considering private company buses as "Public Transportation" - they do not really cater to the "public" but only a selected few travellers. BMTC has a shade of over 6000 buses - only these cater to the needs of passengers traveling within the city. Private buses cater mainly to passengers out of the city, and their population (no of buses) in low.

If you would like to consider all these buses also, I am sure Kochi will give Bangalore a run for money - 650 private city permits, 70 Thirukochis, atleast 1000 KSRTC buses coming in from various parts on a daily basis, nearly 400 buses coming from Vypin, and around 1200 Mofussil Private buses coming to the city each day. I forgot to add the 42 AC Low Floors and some 50-odd non-AC low floors. Divide this by the total population of the UA of Kochi. Similarly compare with Bangalore as well.

What's your point? metro is not required? or it is costly or buses are more viable and comfortable in cochin environment? then only I can answer if it is joke or dream or reality.

I just want to support metro as it is not at grade and fast and comfortable!

My personal opinion is that Metro is surely a welcome move for improving city traffic as well as revitalizing the urban areas.....

But I equally donot believe, its the one and only tool to avoid congestion. No part of the world, just because of metro, traffic congestion ceased. If so Singapore won't have issue of traffic at all, as MRTS runs through out the city.

Singapore is a classic example for Kerala, which I feel must be tried in our state. There are lot of similarities. The public has to move to public transport, which should be ideally a combination of buses, ferries, metro and taxis. The govt itself has to take a policy on discouraging private cars atleast in major cities. Some policies like one man-one car policy or one family-2 car policy should be imposed. Charge double taxes for more cars if a person/family owns. Then lots of voluntary awareness programs, just like who we did for One Family- two children family planning programs.

Equally public transport has to be strengthen. More buses must be introduced. I am not saying KSRTC should bear all the burden. But instead of unruly 1 or 2 buses ownership system, atleast in main cities like Kochi, TVM, policy of corporate bus companies with atleast 20-30 SLF buses and 3 or 4 A/C buses must be implemented.

Then in our city, water transport has to be tapped in a big way. MEMU will take care of suburban traffic. And finally a combination of Metro/monorail networks will be an icing on top of the cake, to ensure a hassle-free intra-city travel.

Rather a belief that one Metro line solving Kochi's congestion and traffic issues will be a myth.....

I am sure, the metro again will bring in more traffic than reducing it, unless a combination of multiple modes introduced.

What's your point?

MY point is this:

Lets please have a discussion based on facts, than fiction.


This reply was made in connection to this point of yours


Metro will be surely a hit without doubt! Even here in bangalore around 10000 buses are there in road then also metro is a big hit. Think almost all roads in bangalore are 4 line one way traffic. More busses = more traffic jam+polution.


You are talking of the "success" of a project that has not yet been commissioned. Just because people did not protest, it doesn't mean the project is/was a success - it is also to be attributed to the reason that they are not Malayalees - who have it in their blood to object anything new.

About your point of supporting the Metro - The Metro is not a one-stop solution to the woes of Kochi. I also do not agree to your concept of "More buses = more traffic jam + pollution" - in fact, a good public transportation system can reduce the number of private cars and thereby reduce the traffic on road.

Not only commercial profitability make it a success.
achieve the other goals like
1.reduce time taken to reach point A to B
2. polution reduction.
3.Provide alternate travel mode (So existing infra also used better without much stress)
4.Increase comfort to enable travel without tire.
5.Make a statement before world which will atract both tourists and business .
6.Most of the money is coming from Japan bank where people need to pay to bank for keeping their money. So as a global citizen make the fund flow so global slowdown can be reduced atleast .001%?
7. Think deeply no infrastructure projects are waste of money; that money is rolled back to poor workers, some middle class supervisors, civil engineers, panters ... by creating jobs, mobilise the economy by keep the demand for raw materials like steel, cement, cables and machinery like tippers,cranes,JCBs . These money again will rotate fuelling shops, mobile operators, bus operators to name few... So instead of tax cut cheques (like US done) better way to induce momentum in to a weakening global economy is infrastructure development only ; right?

It is the infra development started by previous 2-3 govts in India saved us from global meltdown.All these indirectly will affect your job also if think deeply and carefully.

I am travelling all the corners of bangalore as part of my job. Everyday I will think when this frustration of waiting in signals and traffic jam for hours will end? seriousely if you are in a same position think about for 10 minute customer meeting travel for 2-3 hors one way! that also in all dust smoke, sun, rain etc..

Pl note I didn't mentioned traffic congestion here!; that is deliberately . I know it is not going to happen. more people will take their private vehicle if traffic eases a little, so it gives a -ve feed back system which automatically keep the traffic congestion at its level best. Without a mass transportation system we cannot look much in to future as in the case of any big city. But question is when? Answer sooner is better.

main advanatage of metro (or other elevated transportation) is it does not interfere the grade level traffic and it too within business centres!

Charge double taxes for more cars if a person/family owns.

Not at all practical. Even communist cuba cannot implement this without corruption.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/cuba-lifts-ban-on-private-car-sales-2011-09-28
People will keep buying in binami names. Awareness also will help little.
Think about your dear and near . Most of the people buy cars not because they have more money to spend but safe and comfort travel; especially with family. In rain and sun if you want to travel for job purpose? Public transport will help? So let whoever require it to use it Govt's job is to fascilitate infra for that. Singapore cannot afford more infra due to lakh of real estate. But for kerala what we need to do is decentralise business and industry. Kerala govt.'s hub&spike model is golden example for this for IT decentralisation (much effort needed to implement and suceed it).

Singapore is total size of cochin and population also less only. I know singapore citizen who comes to malacca and other part of malaysia just for driving the car and enjoy weekends.(some envious malays also speculate they also want to spit and urinate on road which is not posible in singapore).
But take malaysia, they are building more and more infra because they have enough land and less population even it is highly developed in infra(think malaysian technology roads).I also drove all over kualalumpur in job purpose and even to penang, johore and malakka we used both private and public transport. In peak hours and holiday season only we are seen any traffic issues. That also for car not public transport. as I said before there all kind of mass transport systems are there including cable cars.

Public transport should be encouraged by its attraction of lowcost,affordability, availability and comfort not less than a human being expects. I travelled only 2 days in bus in travel 3rd day I brought a bike. Because it is insane condition to get in to bus and deal with conductor, get our purse safe. If you dont know the language gone case! their jilebi language only will be there! Now things are much better with volvo buses. English boards are there (LED) and not much rush is there due to high ticket charge. So my point is to provide everyone their kind of public transport it is govt duty.

Now new concepts like vertical townships are being introduced where people will live, play work in same multistoreyed mega townships. So transportation itself is minimised.

Metro Rail Officials seek for running 35 night circular services from next week onwards. The official letter in this regard was given to CM and Transport department. This is to avoid traffic issues from next week onwards, due to demolition of second bay of North ROB

Today Bangalore Metro got commissioned and we are still struggling with demolition of ROB .... so sadddd.

its high time we get approval for our pet project .....This cant get delayed like this ..... if at last FM say NO then cant imagine ...

The City of Cochin is going to see a big makeover in Bus shelters in next 9 months. 57 Buses shelters are going to remodelled to modern style. The first such has been opened yesterday in front of DMO's office in Park Avenue.

Each Shelter is made in BOT way. Each Shelter will have space length of 1.5 meters to 2 meters. The shelters are designed using pre-fabricated roofing with iron framework. The entire shelter is covered with Aluminium Composite planning (like the way designed in Palarivattom).

Every Bus shelter will have uniform design with stainless steel designed hand-railing and seats. Each shelter will have Automatic LED Lights, that switches on from 6:00 PM to Morning 6:00 AM.

A large display board will be featured behind each station, indicating maps of bus routes in English and Malayalam. Soon display boards will be installed, once buses adopt GPS equipment, as per HC Order. The display boards will indicate time of next bus based on measuring GPS coordinates.

The BOT Operator will receive revenue from ad displays in the shelter including display of ads over LCD Screen. Apart from this each shelter operator can partner with an FM Station company, for continuous playing of FM in the shelter.

The BOT Operator has to agree for maintence of shelters for 3 years, after which Corporation will take over directly as of now.

The corporation expects a revenue of 36 lakh from all the shelters as royalty fee annually.

By Onam 2012, works of all 57 shelters will be completed. Each shelter has to carry the stop's name in English, Malayalam and Hindi.

Not at all practical. Even communist cuba cannot implement this without corruption.

Please quote the person who actually made this comment - instead of putting it on someone else.

On a side note, I believe Singapore already discourages private vehicles by charging higher taxes and imposing permit conditions. I do not believe Cuba is the rule model for Kerala.

Please quote the person who actually made this comment - instead of putting it on someone else.

On a side note, I believe Singapore already discourages private vehicles by charging higher taxes and imposing permit conditions. I do not believe Cuba is the rule model for Kerala.

Kochi can look at the singapore model after it provides its people with Similar facilities. It is difficult to accept double standards ..Bring in similar standards in infrastructure, accountability transportation and waste management. We will talk about it then..

Please quote the person who actually made this comment - instead of putting it on someone else.

I believe Singapore already discourages private vehicles by charging higher taxes and imposing permit conditions. I do not believe Cuba is the rule model for Kerala.

I said it is not possible in Kerala. Singapore have no choice as no real estate availability is there! Pl read my post carefully. For us better is Malaysian model.

I am not asking to follow cuban model neither. Without proper monitoring infra if somebody tried to implement it will be like that disastrous!

Each country is having its own limitations and + points. We need to develop based on that limitations and requirements. Whether Singapore is having manpower and real estate and jobless people like india?

Please quote the person who actually made this comment - instead of putting it on someone else.

My mistake ; Sorry:bow:

Kochi can look at the singapore model after it provides its people with Similar facilities. It is difficult to accept double standards ..Bring in similar standards in infrastructure, accountability transportation and waste management. We will talk about it then..

Yes, to some extend its true....We need to bulidup quality public transport infrastructre, before asking people to move. But our nature is that, even providing highest quality service, there is lot of inertia for people to adopt new.

Thats very common to South Indians, particularly Keralites.

I have seen many Malayalees still prefering to us Cars and waiting in ques for Jebel Ali Free Zone, despite of the easy access of Dubai Metro and relative quick means to avoid any congestion etc......

I am sure, Dubai in last 10 years, have build an infrastructure parallel to Singapore, with numerous buses, ferries, metro and things like that. Yet, most of us prefer cars... Dubai donot have any laws similar to Singapore to curb car sales, citing same reasons like ours, pressure lobbies

So I strongly believe, even providing any kind of facility, this will remain, unless lot of social pressures acts over it.

Writ petition filed against Kochi metro rail project


some serious pest control activity is needed to remove such people ....
sad to see a few such ridiculously foolish people are also living in our city .....

Pretty sure this is lobbied by MG road people , there should be serious public movements against this type lobbying .....

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Kochi/article2533773.ece

^^Old news. The court smartly postponed it by a month!

^^Old news. The court smartly postponed it by a month!

we have just postponed the problem , but an adverse decision by HC can put project in trouble. though gut feeling is considering larger public interest court will not pass any tough orders....

we have just postponed the problem , but an adverse decision by HC can put project in trouble. though gut feeling is considering larger public interest court will not pass any tough orders....

Hopefully the Hon.Court will direct the petitioner to watch the movie at Kanoos-MG Road for wasting court's time!!!!:lol:

Today Bangalore Metro got commissioned and we are still struggling with demolition of ROB .... so sadddd.

its high time we get approval for our pet project .....This cant get delayed like this ..... if at last FM say NO then cant imagine ...

Took a "namma metro" ride yesterday...awesome...felt like economy class air travel. that cleared all my apprehensions about the project feasibility in cochin...Go Kochi... Go ahead !!!:cheers:

Took a "namma metro" ride yesterday...awesome...felt like economy class air travel. that cleared all my apprehensions about the project feasibility in cochin...Go Kochi... Go ahead !!!:cheers:

Me too got a chance to use namma metro yesterday. It was an awesome experience:cheers:. waiting for the D-day for Kochi

Manorama is doing an SMS poll for a suitable name for Kochi Metro (not that it matters)

I support simply "Kochi Metro", and I sure hope they don't go for a stoopid name like "Thiru-Kochi".

Maybe 'GO-Shree' would work. With the word Go written to indicate movement. Something like:

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/8544/goshree.gif

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/8544/goshree.gif

Nice :)

Kochi Metro, keep it simple silly :)

My choice is also Kochi Metro.

No updates on metro? Highspeed rail is coming!

http://pppinfraindia.blogspot.com/search/label/high%20speed%20rail
(3. Railways Bill on high-speed train project in winter session
"We are in the process of setting up the National High Speed Rail Authority (NHSRA), an autonomous body, to implement and monitor the high speed train project in the country and for this a legislation is required to set up the Authority," said a senior Railway Ministry official.
)


Hope to see this kind of trains!

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.294022880608496.81753.100000023604262&type=3

No updates on metro? Highspeed rail is coming!

http://pppinfraindia.blogspot.com/se...abel/bangalore

Hope to see this kind of trains!

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...3604262&type=3

Well, Kochi Metro is awaiting for final clearance before Finance Ministry, with a few questions regarding financing part being asked and reply is under process. As per hearsays, unless any lobbies act against it, the approval will be recevied by end of this month.

Well, everyone is in mood that its almost 95% approved..... Yet 5% is crucial... Lets wait and see what fate stored for us.......

Sree_252, what is the relationship between the high speed rail and metro? Other than both run on a pair of steel tracks!

Sree_252, what is the relationship between the high speed rail and metro? Other than both run on a pair of steel tracks!

Metro need to align as a feeder to HSRL!

Well it seems, now a days, Media is really helping Kochi to get back its rightful share.... Though in other sectors, we get very good positive news now a days, the only sector from which we find too much negative reports is City transportation.....

Ever since this govt took over, Kochi's city transportation has faced crisis in one form or other. Thanks to active intervention of media, the alleged pull back of Thirukochi city buses got full restored..... Now while media is crusading for VMH and circular services, KSRTC is giving another shock to Kochi

9 Volvo Orange buses have stopped services after Volvo company refused to do regular maintenance on completion of 30,000 KM. The govt hasn't settle the dues with the company amounting around 4 crore. The company refused to do any kind of maintanence work anywhere in Kerala, unless KSRTC settles its due.

Earlier Volvo stopped issuance of further Orange Buses which now remains at Volvo's Aluva Unit, citing same reason.....

The transport department seems to be no mood in listening the woes and media like Mathrubhumi, Manorama started its crusade...... Meanwhile Corporation officials, said they will speak with CM and transport officials as the buses were actually alloted to Corporation. The Mayor said that, he will press for SPV, if KSRTC continues with this kind of attitude....:nuts:

Lets wait and see the media efforts now....

^^
Metro need to align as a feeder to HSRL!

High speed rail is to connect cities( i guess kochi - chennai -bangalore). How can metro provide a feeder for such a service? I am sorry but i dont get the link between the two.

^^No Need. It could be like this.
Metro passenger can get down at a metro station- catch a bus to nearest bustop to the HSRL station.- Take an auto to HSRL station. Thats It. You can spend a valubale time in bus , auto and for waiting which you are going to save from High Speed Train travel.

Like the same way a KSRTC passenger getting down at Vyttila, gonna do catch a train from Railway station.

^^No Need. It could be like this.
Metro passenger can get down at a metro station- catch a bus to nearest bustop to the HSRL station.- Take an auto to HSRL station. Thats It. You can spend a valubale time in bus , auto and for waiting which you are going to save from High Speed Train travel.

Like the same way a KSRTC passenger getting down at Vyttila, gonna do catch a train from Railway station.

Well, none of us know where is this HSRL station going to come..... If its coming in Aluva somewhere near to the Metro station, then a skywalk can be planned connecting it

And mind it, we are talking about things, probably coming up in 2025 etc..... Let first Metro becomes a reality, before thinking too much on yet in the minds, kind of projects of IR....... And now body knows how our govt, which doesn't have Rs 4 crore to pay to Volvo as dues, fund 77,000 Crore worth HSR project from north to south style......

If we start planning like that, we will also need to figure where we will link Metro with the expressway, maglev terminal, second and third airports, spaceport etc.

When we get there, I am sure we can build a Metro line to connect them!!

And mind it, we are talking about things, probably coming up in 2025 etc..... Let first Metro becomes a reality, before thinking too much on yet in the minds, kind of projects of IR....... And now body knows how our govt, which doesn't have Rs 4 crore to pay to Volvo as dues, fund 77,000 Crore worth HSR project from north to south style......

This is really a valid point.

We can guess the traffic congestion going to happen in Byepass and Seaport Airport Road in next 10-15 years, as there is no wide city roads parellel to both. We heard much about may projects like Civil Lane road- Kothamangalam Highway , 2-laning of Perumbavoor road via Pookkattupady and MG Road-Infopark Highway , but now a days there was no talk about any of these three. All these priority projects are sunk by Metro Rail and imaginary 77000 cre HSRL ???

If we start planning like that, we will also need to figure where we will link Metro with the expressway, maglev terminal, second and third airports, spaceport etc.

When we get there, I am sure we can build a Metro line to connect them!!

Bangalore is building a transit terminal at Majestic. As per reports it will be a 65 storeyed mammoth building in 75 acres with 3 level for Bus parking (believe me - already bangalore started 2nd floor bus parking in some of bus stands eg: yeswanthpur new bus stand), BMTC (local buses) which is now 6000 in numbers and adding 1000 per year , Karnataka RTC and other state transports (out station and interstate , Metro station, Underpass to railway station which will be around 300-500 mtrs away only, metro link to HSRL transit station from there you can reach airport in 20 minutes (145 kmph HSRL link), Auto stand all in around 75 acre mammoth 65 floor building.

I think this 65 floors are due to PPP mode of construction where upper floors can be used by PPP partner to generate revenue.

Also 2 level flyovers (so 3 level of transport including grade level) are planned to important junctions and flyovers from this bus stand cum transit terminal.

If we are planning now atleast in 2025 eople will realise there is a requirement like that.

I hate this forum is so serious that even we cannot dream about our own district's faith!:ohno:

And now body knows how our govt, which doesn't have Rs 4 crore to pay to Volvo as dues, fund 77,000 Crore worth HSR project from north to south style......

HSRL is central govt project like NH. Central govt is making money by selling public sectors company shares. (Do you know thats why petrol price control taken out and make oil companies in profit; so govt can sell it in higher price?)

India is not that old india what we used to see. It has a bright future !

imaginary 77000 cre HSRL ???

Not imaginary . This winter parliament sitting will pass the bill for that

http://pppinfraindia.blogspot.com/search/label/high%20speed%20rail

^^


High speed rail is to connect cities( i guess kochi - chennai -bangalore). How can metro provide a feeder for such a service? I am sorry but i dont get the link between the two.

We are talking about a transit station fascility my friend!:)

Well, none of us know where is this HSRL station going to come..... If its coming in Aluva somewhere near to the Metro station, then a skywalk can be planned connecting it

And mind it, we are talking about things, probably coming up in 2025 etc..... Let first Metro becomes a reality, before thinking too much on yet in the minds, kind of projects of IR....... And now body knows how our govt, which doesn't have Rs 4 crore to pay to Volvo as dues, fund 77,000 Crore worth HSR project from north to south style......

So True.. I hope this govt somehow manages to widen AP-SP road to 4 Lane and extend it till Airport. Thalkalam adenkilum nadannal mathiyarnu..:bash:

HSR project even tho mooted by central govt. would require state 2 acquire land . Appo Pinne parayandallo karyanagal... Keralthile NH pole thanne akum ee projectum..Office pooti avanmar pokum..:bash:

Bangalore is building a transit terminal at Majestic. As per reports it will be a 65 storeyed mammoth building in 75 acres with 3 level for Bus parking (believe me - already bangalore started 2nd floor bus parking in some of bus stands eg: yeswanthpur new bus stand), BMTC (local buses) which is now 6000 in numbers and adding 1000 per year , Karnataka RTC and other state transports (out station and interstate , Metro station, Underpass to railway station which will be around 300-500 mtrs away only, metro link to HSRL transit station from there you can reach airport in 20 minutes (145 kmph HSRL link), Auto stand all in around 75 acre mammoth 65 floor building.

I think this 65 floors are due to PPP mode of construction where upper floors can be used by PPP partner to generate revenue.

Also 2 level flyovers (so 3 level of transport including grade level) are planned to important junctions and flyovers from this bus stand cum transit terminal.

If we are planning now atleast in 2025 eople will realise there is a requirement like that.

I hate this forum is so serious that even we cannot dream about our own district's faith!:ohno:

As I am living in Bangalore for more than last 10 years, just adding few thoughts to this. As far as know only PPP model for building a metro station is only for swastik station where mantri is building a mall with a profit sharing model with BMRC. I am hearing this 65 floor majestic station for the first time, as far I know tallest tower in Bangalore as of now shouldn't be greater than 20-25 floors ... I haven't read this majestic proposal in any papers here too. This is the tender document for majestic station construction , that also doesn't talk to something of such grand scale. http://bmrc.co.in/pdf/tenders/ddcmajestic.pdf , more interestingly the document says it's an underground station.

Coming to Multi level bus parking , there are many bus stops in bangalore where bus bays have been constructed (especially in outer ring road), but I am yet to see any buses going into bus bays or droping/picking people from bus bays. They stop and pickup people from road blocking the entire traffic. It's not hard for me to assume what happens to multi level bus parking with same bus drivers.

Coming to HSRL to airport I personally think it's a ridiculous, it's proposed that it will run from MG road to airport with just 3 stops in between over 35 kms, there by not benefiting people who stay near to it. It would have been cheaper and beneficial to people had they just extended metro to airport. Now itself volvo buses towards airport and running empty, people use it only when they arrive in Bangalore. Then why a dedicated expensive HSRL link to cover just airport ? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangalore_High-Speed_Rail_Link

in my opinion, what we need for Kochi is ideas that can be really executed given the land/political issues we have and projects which are beneficial to people say like 4 lane SP-AP, kochi metro which covers the city, VMH completed with issues resolved with KSRTC. May be they can look at few PPP initiative to cover the cost of metro stations. Shops in metro stations will benefit people too...

Not imaginary . This winter parliament sitting will pass the bill for that

http://pppinfraindia.blogspot.com/search/label/high%20speed%20rail

Well, Sree, Indian Railways is planning a HSR from Chennai to Kochi via Bangalore and Coimbatore. But don't expect it tommorrow.... They are looking for Pune-Ahmedabad via Mumbai as well as Patna-New Delhi is first priority corridors.

In all probability, Chennai-Kochi corridor may come up by around 2018 etc.... And IR has poor track even to start an ordinary line, hence we need to really see how they are going to make this happen, unless some sort of man like E.Sreedharan at helm.

Equally, Kerala Govt announced another project, the 77,000 Crore Trivandrum-Mangalore corridor which also pass via Kochi. But the issue, the govt, which struggles even to pay 4 crore for maintenance charge for its buses, finding 77000 crore is something laughable. And considering the high-payback period, I don't feel any private players will jump into such projects......

This thing, only time can tell us will this be reality or not.... To be honest, I have no hope for such systems atleast for this decade....

In all probability, Chennai-Kochi corridor may come up by around 2018 etc.... And IR has poor track even to start an ordinary line, hence we need to really see how they are going to make this happen, unless some sort of man like E.Sreedharan at helm.

.

I am expecting by 2025 starting of work! But that doesnt matter to discuss or dream about it!

Also It will be under another authority like HSRLI as per reports, which has only work is to implement this projects.

If you look closely requirement of HSRL is not requirement driven but by seeing china developing HSRL in fast phase India cannot ignore it ; otherwise all industries (MNCs) will prefer china rather than India.

I dont think Cochin will be in back seat if once started. Because it is Central's policy to link ports with metro cities. Here Bangalore and coimbatore will play the cards for us. See vallarpadam project how fast it materialised?

As I am living in Bangalore for more than last 10 years, just adding few thoughts to this. As far as know only PPP model for building a metro station is only for swastik station where mantri is building a mall with a profit sharing model with BMRC. I am hearing this 65 floor majestic station for the first time, as far I know tallest tower in Bangalore as of now shouldn't be greater than 20-25 floors ... I haven't read this majestic proposal in any papers here too. This is the tender document for majestic station construction , that also doesn't talk to something of such grand scale. http://bmrc.co.in/pdf/tenders/ddcmajestic.pdf , more interestingly the document says it's an underground station.

Coming to Multi level bus parking , there are many bus stops in bangalore where bus bays have been constructed (especially in outer ring road), but I am yet to see any buses going into bus bays or droping/picking people from bus bays. They stop and pickup people from road blocking the entire traffic. It's not hard for me to assume what happens to multi level bus parking with same bus drivers.

Coming to HSRL to airport I personally think it's a ridiculous, it's proposed that it will run from MG road to airport with just 3 stops in between over 35 kms, there by not benefiting people who stay near to it. It would have been cheaper and beneficial to people had they just extended metro to airport. Now itself volvo buses towards airport and running empty, people use it only when they arrive in Bangalore. Then why a dedicated expensive HSRL link to cover just airport ? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangalore_High-Speed_Rail_Link

in my opinion, what we need for Kochi is ideas that can be really executed given the land/political issues we have and projects which are beneficial to people say like 4 lane SP-AP, kochi metro which covers the city, VMH completed with issues resolved with KSRTC. May be they can look at few PPP initiative to cover the cost of metro stations. Shops in metro stations will benefit people too...

1.This is not about swastik/majestic metro station it is about transit terminal which is separate . Which is not yet tendered.

Lot of pre project requirements are there like completing metro station and tunnels, making bus stand in different areas to bypass existing one to close during building period, Planning the flyovers and start work on it so easily heavy trucks with building materials can come without traffic jam.

2. I am not talking about busstops. But bus stand where buses are parking.

Yeswanthpur already have 2 level busstand (opened in this year only). come and see.

If somebody is living in bangalore for 5-10 years not neccessary to hear all things about developments in bangalore. only after 2005 active infra boost is got to india and bangalore.

Also lot of projects are withdrawn after proposing and doing feasibility study also. eg: hebbal to Mins square tunnel.But it is not 100% sure whether they will take up in later stage or not.

Transit terminal is for sure! but not confirm on number of floors or other +/-.
All are coming as rumours but most of them are materialized in one or another form in +/- tech , facilities. For eg: pl see the metro official web sites. Stations are first planned very hightech and atractively. Later they cutdown to save cost (during financial slowdown in 2007-08).

1.This is not about swastik/majestic metro station it is about transit terminal which is separate . Which is not yet tendered.

Lot of pre project requirements are there like completing metro station and tunnels, making bus stand in different areas to bypass existing one to close during building period, Planning the flyovers and start work on it so easily heavy trucks with building materials can come without traffic jam.

2. I am not talking about busstops. But bus stand where buses are parking.

Yeswanthpur already have 2 level busstand (opened in this year only). come and see.

If somebody is living in bangalore for 5-10 years not neccessary to hear all things about developments in bangalore. only after 2005 active infra boost is got to india and bangalore.

Also lot of projects are withdrawn after proposing and doing feasibility study also. eg: hebbal to Mins square tunnel.But it is not 100% sure whether they will take up in later stage or not.

Transit terminal is for sure! but not confirm on number of floors or other +/-.
All are coming as rumours but most of them are materialized in one or another form in +/- tech , facilities. For eg: pl see the metro official web sites. Stations are first planned very hightech and atractively. Later they cutdown to save cost (during financial slowdown in 2007-08).

Sree, let's hope soon there an official proposal for a majestic transit terminal. I said Multilevel bus parking won't work, is because drivers here are lazy to take the buses to even bus bays , what do you expect them to do in multilevel bus parking in long term ?

For kochi, what it needs now is catch up for what it missed in last 5-7 years. it needs to catch up fast, rather than delaying it for proposals which may materialise in 2025 ....

Coming to HSRL to airport I personally think it's a ridiculous, it's proposed that it will run from MG road to airport with just 3 stops in between over 35 kms, there by not benefiting people who stay near to it. It would have been cheaper and beneficial to people had they just extended metro to airport. Now itself volvo buses towards airport and running empty, people use it only when they arrive in Bangalore. Then why a dedicated expensive HSRL link to cover just airport ? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangalore_High-Speed_Rail_Link

in my opinion, what we need for Kochi is ideas that can be really executed given the land/political issues we have and projects which are beneficial to people say like 4 lane SP-AP, kochi metro which covers the city, VMH completed with issues resolved with KSRTC. May be they can look at few PPP initiative to cover the cost of metro stations. Shops in metro stations will benefit people too...

I am also not supporting HSRL as in current form 100% as a priority. But it is a future requirement as seen in all world class cities.

HSRL project in Blr handed over to BMRCL. Let us see how they are proposing about no; of stops. Interestingly E.Sreedharan is supporting HSRL, So some importance are there right?

When you are talking about land/political issues I am 100% sure the traffic conjunction in cochin will be more chaotic than bangalore in another 10 years.
Because

1. We are mallus, hesitant to change or improvement. Even if 5 cent of land need to given out from our 5 Acres for road widening despite seeing the value increase we will try to lobby to obstruct the development.

2. Cochin is having limited land resources. One side of our city is sea. only 3 way growth is posible. In that itself north-south need not specify!

Bangalore is having all 4 sides , lot of free empty lands, lot of Airforce, army lands which is by a stern govt (central) decision can be utilized for high profile projects.

3. As cochin is in sea side it is not recommended to grow vertically also without proper safety measures (eg: tsunami, rust due to salty wind)

4.Cochin is having greater possibilities to grow as lot of + points which is not there in Bangalore. Seaport , lot of educated youth, Lot of NRI,NRK who is ready to invest if proper opportunity in their favor is there.

By reading all the above points together we can predict in another 10 years Cochin will be worst city to live.

Even an avg engineer family with 1 lakh salary in hand per month cannot afford an apartment in bangalore city CBD. There is no wonder to see apartments with a price tag of 3 crores in city (Let alone Malyas 20 crore per apartment 100+ apartments. All these details you can see in SSC itself. Only big businessmen and land bank owners can survive in Bangalore CBD. Even the interest for 3 crore apartment will come to ~ 4lakhs per month. Here is the importance of quick and fast transportation to outskirts.(I am taking bangalore example because I am feeling it and I given above points cochin will overtake bangalore in density). Those who we are consider as high income group in kerala have to drive 2-3 hour too their office from their outskirt apartment.

Within 10 years cochin also will face these issues. That time you cannot rip off existing metro rail like we are doing in north bridge and make a HSRL we need to plan that also at least in paper.

Sree, let's hope soon there an official proposal for a majestic transit terminal. I said Multilevel bus parking won't work, is because drivers here are lazy to take the buses to even bus bays , what do you expect them to do in multilevel bus parking in long term ?
..

I think you are confused between bus stops and bus stand.

Bus stand is where driver get off to have a tea by parking bus. He cannot do that lazy thing because superior officers are there in bus stand (of course in office in above floors). Also you no need to take the bus by pushing it to second floor. A flyover from existing multiloop/ level flyovers are extended to not even feel like it climbs to second floor. Working example is there in Yeswanthpur.

I am inviting you to come and see. Pl take yeswanthpur train next time when you travel fro kerala to bangalore . It is just 7 Km from Majestic, lot of buses are there to all over the city; pl come.

Even after seeing such kind of infra in malaysia (eg: Penang komtar bus stand bulding which is 65 floor I believe http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Asia/Malaysia/Negeri_Pulau_Pinang/Penang-1282036/Things_To_Do-Penang-KOMTAR-BR-1.html )I was in a conception that In india it is not posible; But until I see the EC to Silkboard Bridge completed in 3-4 years.

I am inviting you to come and see. Pl take yeswanthpur train next time when you travel fro kerala to bangalore . It is just 7 Km from Majestic, lot of buses are there to all over the city; pl come.


Sree, I will definitely checkout what great/different about yeswanthpur bus terminal sometime in coming weeks. I live near to ITPL and what I see in ITPL bus terminal/TTMC is drivers many a times just park their buses in the mainroad instead of taking it inside the terminal, their by making only single line available to rest of the traffic, before they go for tea or break. Forget about the respect/fear of superiors who might be their chai buddies itself, atleast thats what I am seeing in this part of the city.

Sree, I will definitely checkout what great/different about yeswanthpur bus terminal sometime in coming weeks. I live near to ITPL and what I see in ITPL bus terminal/TTMC is drivers many a times just park their buses in the mainroad instead of taking it inside the terminal, their by making only single line available to rest of the traffic, before they go for tea or break. Forget about the respect/fear of superiors who might be their chai buddies itself, atleast thats what I am seeing in this part of the city.

Dont compare ITPL bus stand to 3000+ bus transit terminal!

Yeswanthpur travel and transit management centre (TTMC) . Now can you believe . The work is not yet completed, pl note!

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=747616&page=45

thanks!

As I am living in Bangalore for more than last 10 years, I am hearing this 65 floor majestic station for the first time,

Do read newspapers daily or just search it

http://bangaloreinfraplus.blogspot.com/2011/01/inter-modal-transit-centre-subash-nagar.html

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-02-16/bangalore/28551591_1_majestic-transit-centre-itc
http://www.hindu.com/2011/02/16/stories/2011021661370300.htm

Guys,

We are slightly losing our focus. Our discussion is not whats there is in Bangalore or not.. That can be done in Bangalore transportation thread.

Well, we are far away from Karnataka KSRTC. Those are highly professionals and established their company as a successful one. There is no problem to dream our KSRTC to be like Karnataka KSRTC. But mere dreams makes no use. I would request, its better to suggest solutions, understanding our own limitations which we can do within our limits....

I am expecting by 2025 starting of work! But that doesnt matter to discuss or dream about it!

Also It will be under another authority like HSRLI as per reports, which has only work is to implement this projects.

If you look closely requirement of HSRL is not requirement driven but by seeing china developing HSRL in fast phase India cannot ignore it ; otherwise all industries (MNCs) will prefer china rather than India.

I dont think Cochin will be in back seat if once started. Because it is Central's policy to link ports with metro cities. Here Bangalore and coimbatore will play the cards for us. See vallarpadam project how fast it materialised?

Let us continue from here:)

Let us continue from here:)

Sree, don't you think for a city like kochi more focus should be on project which could be executed with in next 5-7 years , like metro or SP-AP road. HSRL might come to metros in another decade , kochi may be another decade or more further. Whats the point in designing Metro as a feeder to HSRL ?

Remember when freight corridors were announced initially kerala was not included due to land acquisition issues, inspite of vallarpadam being in finishing stages then. What would be state of HSRL then.

Sree, don't you think for a city like kochi more focus should be on project which could be executed with in next 5-7 years , like metro or SP-AP road. HSRL might come to metros in another decade , kochi may be another decade or more further. Whats the point in designing Metro as a feeder to HSRL ?

Remember when freight corridors were announced initially kerala was not included due to land acquisition issues, inspite of vallarpadam being in finishing stages then. What would be state of HSRL then.

Unlike other projects HSRL runs on pillars which require comparatively less space.

Also lot of changes happened to land aquisition policy and implimentation now a days.

With Central govt is having enough money in its pockets (3G auction, Public sector share sales, Income taxes, Sales taxes,Reducing subsidy burden (Even they will not accept it) , Centralized data processing in all sectors( eg:Core banking UID projects ) will ease to curb malpractice and under statement of profits) next decade will see a boom in infrastructure for sure.

I didn't believe A bridge like chalakkudy over bridge in NH47 will come up in just 5 years before, but it is a reality now (I am remembering chalakkudy bridge -old one when under repair a iron standby bridge used and controlled oneway traffic was there just 10 years b4. I have waited hours to get past the bridge)

Pl rewind your memories, the growth in india is logarithmic (or squared nature like 2-4-16) the days alwaye -EKm road widened to 4 lane .. every thing is in last 10-15 years only. By seeing that why we cant predict how the traffic chaos will be there in cochin in another 10 years.

Even a normal person when building his house will see future expansion.
Why cant a literal state can't forsee it. My only suggestion was just think that also. So some common point where we can club all these transport (may it vytila hub or Alwaye Railway station premises) We can plan those things in such a way no rebuilding like north bridge occured in near future (10-25 years) . An infrastructure like bridge etc.. is having a life of about 50-100 years at least. Why it should demolish at a young age of 10-25 years.

I accept just by dreaming it cannot come true. But without thinking (by some top officials) also it is not going happen. Atleast this forum followers will get some idea about things to come in future so they can plan it accordingly.

Buy some plots in Cochin friends. It is going to increase 10 times in few years:nuts:

Sree, don't you think for a city like kochi more focus should be on project which could be executed with in next 5-7 years , like metro.

Separate threads are there for important projects :) Like metro etc..

The District Collector on Tuesday asked the Regional Transport Authority and the Traffic Police to prepare a report on the possibilities of extending the bus services from the Vaikkom and Cherthala side to the Kaloor private bus stand. At present these buses reach only up to the Vyttila Mobility Hub.

There are lot of people who depend upon the private buses to travel through the Kaloor - Kathrukkadavu Road and restricting the services to Vyttila Mobility Hub is causing inconvenience to them. “So the District collector has asked us to look into the possibility of extending the services to the Kaloor private bus stand. We are considering the idea of buses coming from Vaikkom and Cherthala side entering the hub and then reaching the Kaloor stand. In the return trip, these buses will not go to the hub, but they can collect passengers from the Vyttila bus stop,” said an RTA official.

The meeting convened here by District Collector PI Sheik Pareeth and attended by RTA and Traffic police officials also discussed the possibilities of installing three new bus shelters. Two bus shelters are proposed near the Ponnurunni bridge and one in front of the Welcare Hospital on SA Road.

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/collector-seeks-report-on-extending-bus-services/196486-60-122.html

Unlike other projects HSRL runs on pillars which require comparatively less space.

Also lot of changes happened to land aquisition policy and implimentation now a days.

With Central govt is having enough money in its pockets (3G auction, Public sector share sales, Income taxes, Sales taxes,Reducing subsidy burden (Even they will not accept it) , Centralized data processing in all sectors( eg:Core banking UID projects ) will ease to curb malpractice and under statement of profits) next decade will see a boom in infrastructure for sure.


Well, I still can't figure out what Sree is trying to say.... I am sorry sir, it might be a personal issue.... But I surely can't follow the discussion.

Well, nobody here says, we don't want HSRL. Well, if someone proposes regular helicopter services connecting various point of city with dedicated helipads like how bus shelters are done, we welcome it.

HSRL as of now, are planned for inter-city movements, say between Bangalore or Chennai or Coimbatore. It has lot of advantages.....

We all know even the proposed first line (Pune-Mumbai-Ahmedabad) may come only in 2019, if they start works today. So the southern corridor can be expected only by 2025 or 2030.... A clear 15 or 20 years from now....

Why should we walk lifting our dhotis now itself, saying water is there after miles? When it come, we can have metro connectivity to it..... We cannot draw a line today, imagining a point will be the likely station of HSRL, as each km costs around 220 crore....

The priority of Metro as of today is for Aluva-Petta stretch, the next priorities would be CIAL-Aluva and Petta-Tripunithara-Smartcity

15 years back, Kakkanad was a place reigned by wolves and dogs..... We can't say, which area will grow in next 20 years time period. So lets the project come and we can make more lines in future.

In near future, we also require a metro line from Cherai to CBD considering the high growth in this stretch.

If the real lobbying of Kochi makes its effect, Kochi will also see 3rd major Bus terminal project at Thrikkakara-Kakkanad side

The bus terminal at Kakkanad will remain a distant dream as the government has not given permission for the proposal to carry it forward. Though the Thrikkakara municipality officials said that the government had rejected the proposal, they could not give the exact reason as to why a project like this one was rejected.

The proposal was earlier submitted by the erstwhile Thrikkakara panchayat. Radhakrishnan, municipality engineer, said: “The proposal has been rejected. We do not know the exact reason. The proposal was submitted by the former Thrikkakara panchayat president.

The area, near to the Thrikkakara municipality, the district panchayat and the Civil Station was the proposed site for the bus terminal. But this place has been used for dumping garbage for the past seven years.

Thrikkakara municipality chairman P I Muhammad Ali said: “The government rejected the proposal citing that there is no ample space to build a bus terminal there.” But, Sabitha Kareem, who was the-then panchayat president, refutes this. “We had submitted the proposal after taking all the constraints into account. The project was accepted by the Planning Board. But there was a slight difficulty as there were some legal hassles in allotting the required land by the Revenue Department,” she said. The ambiguity still continues as the Thrikkakara municipality authorities still do not know what to do with the proposed site. “We are planning to submit a proposal for a full-fledged bus terminal, along with a shopping complex built at par with international standards,” said Rajendran, municipal engineer.

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/technical-hitches-delay-bus-terminal-project/196484-60-122.html

It is a necessity of time, that we need a bus terminal at Kakkanad. The existing waste disposal place is enough for that. In future , the buses to Tripunithura,Vaikom ,Kottayam from Paravur and Aluva side can be diverted through this route. Alappuzha side buses through Vyttila and 'Ernakulam' buses to the existing KSRTC terminal.

If the real lobbying of Kochi makes its effect, Kochi will also see 3rd major Bus terminal project at Thrikkakara-Kakkanad side

http://epaper.mathrubhumi.com/epaperimages/28102011/28102011-md-ek-2/161637466.JPG

Volvo agreed to repair the buses after Govt assured them paying back the due as fast as possible.

6 out of 11 buses which has stopped service due to requirement of service as per AMC, will be serviced by today and remaining by Monday.

It is a necessity of time, that we need a bus terminal at Kakkanad. The existing waste disposal place is enough for that. In future , the buses to Tripunithura,Vaikom ,Kottayam from Paravur and Aluva side can be diverted through this route. Alappuzha side buses through Vyttila and 'Ernakulam' buses to the existing KSRTC terminal.

Well, in future, we must plan each bus terminal for what. Our city has grown into a budding metropolis with 2.2 million population and probably a decade, it aspires to be top 10 cities of India atleast in GDP and economic wise.

In such a situtition, we cannot behave like how we did in 1940s or 50s, with one bus terminal in heart of city for KSRTC and one for private etc..... Such concepts may be true for a semi-urban small towns. But definitely not for a metro like Kochi anymore.

Aluva Angamally, Aroor, Vytilla etc forms a linear equation when we travel from North to South..... So there won't be much problem to align traffic. But Kakkanad is as of now, out of this alignment.

But I foresee, in next couple of years, buses from Northern side, will find too difficult to travel from Kalamassery to Byepass side, considering the number of commercial units coming up and heavy congestion going to built up soon there.

In such a case, over a foreseeable period of time, SP/AP road would pratically emerge out as Byepass and long distances from Northern side would find pretty easier to via this than waiting in congestion for hours in Edapally side.

I in such a sitution, Kakkanad Bus terminus has a strong role to play. It would sure cater the techies who have to reach IT Hub. Moreover with commissioning of Ring road and completion of SP/AP road, it would be better more easy for buses and vehicles to travel via this stretch for North-South corridor than travel via Byepass, which is bound to become a city arterial road.

Anyway, once a larger Brahmapuram Plant comes up, wastes of Thrikkakara could be done over there..... So this land can become a major bus terminal.

http://www.mathrubhumi.com/story.php?id=225627

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പദ്ധതിയുടെ ഒന്നാംഘട്ടത്തിന്റെ സാധ്യതാപഠനം ഡെല്*ഹി മെട്രോ റെയില്* കോര്*പ്പറേഷന്* ചെയര്*മാന്* ഇ. ശ്രീധരന്* അവതരിപ്പിച്ചു. തിരുവനന്തപുരം മുതല്* കൊച്ചിവരെയാണ് ഒന്നാംഘട്ടം. ഇതിന് 43,254 കോടി രൂപ വേണം. കാസര്*കോട് വരെയാണ് പദ്ധതി തുടങ്ങാന്* ഉദ്ദേശിച്ചതെങ്കിലും ഇത് മംഗലാപുരം വരെ നീട്ടുന്നതാണ് പ്രയോജനകരമെന്ന് സാധ്യതാപഠന റിപ്പോര്*ട്ടില്* പറയുന്നു. രണ്ടാംഘട്ടത്തിന് 1,18,050 കോടിയാണ് ചെലവ് പ്രതീക്ഷിക്കുന്നത്. 2013 തുടങ്ങിയാല്* 2020-ല്* പദ്ധതി പൂര്*ത്തിയാക്കാനാവും.
അതിവേഗ റെയില്* ഇടനാഴിക്ക് പണം കണ്ടെത്താന്* വായ്പയും പൊതുസ്വകാര്യ പങ്കാളിത്തവും ഉള്*പ്പെടെയുള്ള സാധ്യതകള്* ആരായും. ഭൂമി ഏറ്റെടുക്കില്ല. പകരം ഉടമസ്ഥന് പങ്കാളിത്തം നല്*കുകയോ ഭൂമി പാട്ടത്തിനെടുക്കുകയോ ചെയ്യും.
പരമാവധി വേഗം മണിക്കൂറില്* 350 കിലോമീറ്ററായിരിക്കും. എന്നാല്* പ്രായോഗികതലത്തില്* ഇത് 300 കിലോമീറ്റര്* ആയിരിക്കും. തിരുവനന്തപുരം മുതല്* മംഗലാപുരം വരെ ഒമ്പത് സ്റ്റേഷനുകള്* ഉണ്ടാകും. ഒരു ട്രെയിനില്* 817 യാത്രക്കാര്*ക്ക് സഞ്ചരിക്കാനാകും.
മന്ത്രിമാരായ പി.കെ. കുഞ്ഞാലിക്കുട്ടി, ആര്യാടന്* മുഹമ്മദ്, കെ. ബാബു, ആസൂത്രണ ബോര്*ഡ് ഉപാധ്യക്ഷന്* കെ.എം. ചന്ദ്രശേഖരന്*, ആസൂത്രണ ബോര്*ഡ് അംഗം ജി. വിജയരാഘവന്*, വ്യവസായ വകുപ്പ് പ്രിന്*സിപ്പല്* സെക്രട്ടറി ടി. ബാലകൃഷ്ണന്* എന്നിവര്* പദ്ധതി സംബന്ധിച്ച അവതരണത്തിലും തുടര്*ന്നുള്ള ചര്*ച്ചയിലും പങ്കെടുത്തു.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=aH7U2Su1pyc

http://epaper.mathrubhumi.com/epaperimages/30102011/30102011-md-ek-3/6152578.JPG

Delhi Metro Chief E.Sreedharan visits North ROB Site. He is in opinion that the entire works would be completed in next 18 months, though there is a delay in works as of now. Its mainly owing to small roads and heavy traffic. The piling is expected start tommorrow. Since Kochi's soil has strong water content, the piling will be required more.

He also inspected the progress of Salim Rajan Flyover and expects it to be complete by 15 months.

Delhi Metro Chief E.Sreedharan visits North ROB Site. He is in opinion that the entire works would be completed in next 18 months.

He also inspected the progress of Salim Rajan Flyover and expects it to be complete by 15 months.

So in One & half years, with the completion of both ROBs, we can see a sea change in the traffic woes of Kochi.

So in One & half years, with the completion of both ROBs, we can see a sea change in the traffic woes of Kochi.

But next two woes are going to come up, once 2 woes are settled.... The demolition of South ROB and erection of Atlantis Flyover.....:)

But next two woes are going to come up, once 2 woes are settled.... The demolition of South ROB and erection of Atlantis Flyover.....:)

South ROB demolition? Have no info. on that. Is it planned?

Atlantis, i don't expect it soon. Ponnurunni ROB might come before that.

South ROB demolition? Have no info. on that. Is it planned?

Atlantis, i don't expect it soon. Ponnurunni ROB might come before that.

Its there in the plans..... But only after North ROB and Salim Rajan...... South ROB has been earlier planned to be a flyover till Church Landing road... Anyway, we don't have much info with new plans. But definitely it has to be demolished. The Metro cannot pass South Bridge which is just 2 lane road...

Atlantis is temporary on hold, as the funds alloted to it was diverted to Pullepady widening....I wonder the useless corporation wasted it.....

But its also a prerequisite to divert traffic when South is under construction. Probably after Salim Rajan, the next flyover will be Atlantis.

But definitely it has to be demolished. The Metro cannot pass South Bridge which is just 2 lane road.

Its inevitable to develop South ROB. But AFAIK, that has nothing to do with the metro construction. The metro line, i think passes next to the South ROB.

A 4 lane atlantis ROB will be a huge boon if it can be completed before south overbridge is demolished....Panampilly nagar strech is already wide enough ..Corporation should have put this @ top priority

Its there in the plans..... But only after North ROB and Salim Rajan...... South ROB has been earlier planned to be a flyover till Church Landing road... Anyway, we don't have much info with new plans. But definitely it has to be demolished. The Metro cannot pass South Bridge which is just 2 lane road...


According to the alignment map of Kochi Metro, the metro would not be going through south overbridge - it would instead cut across the railway station or some point other than south overbridge.

Here is the alignment map of Kochi Metro, from the official website:
http://www.kochimetro.org/images/stories/images/kochi_metro_route_map.jpg

Yes, the metro line gets to the west side of ERS station, and crosses the rail line between ERS and south ROB, joining SA road after the ROB

Woww,

Thanks guys that piece of Information. Me was expecting it to pass over South ROB. Yeah, now I understand why Collector was ordering for demolition of blgs right from Jos Junction to South Railway station for a 4 lane road.

But news of South Flyover cum ROB is not an imaginative news... Its there in paper for a long time as it was earlier proposed by Munner when he was PWD Minister, then LDF Govt gave the project for a feasibility study to Inkel when Ibrahminkunju raised this issue as submittion in assembly.

http://www.inkelkerala.com/south_overbridge.aspx

With Ibrahminkunju as PWD Minister now, I feel this will also be done in the name of metro, as its a last chance for Kochi CBD to get its roads widen. Because of public's positive attitude towards metro, its possible to do this.

Well, I feel, its feasible to start a new flyover from Kadavanthara Bus stop area, which has larger width for starting of approach road, which makes into an elevated 4 lane flyover (thus the existing 4 lane will be intact), pass over Manorama junction and Rail, go all over to Pallimukku and end at Church Landing Road which has some piece of bare-land for the approach road.

A 4 lane Atlantis, I am not sure, as there is no much of space for constructing a 4 lane road + 2 sideways there. Shipyard's high extension electricity line passes at this stretch. It will again take time for shifting the lines and LA. And the govt has asked Corporation to do so, which takes 20 days even to tar a Chittor road (as if Mayor is making a hand-crafted road), I don't expect it on a strong time schedule, unless Metro themselves take over it.

Well, I feel, its feasible to start a new flyover from Kadavanthara Bus stop area, which has larger width for starting of approach road, which makes into an elevated 4 lane flyover (thus the existing 4 lane will be intact), pass over Manorama junction and Rail, go all over to Pallimukku and end at Church Landing Road which has some piece of bare-land for the approach road.


A small query here: If such a flyover is built, what alternative route would you suggest for people who need to take Karshaka road, or the road towards Panampilly Nagar/Passport office area.

If they have to go over the flyover till the end and then take a U turn to head to these places, we will finally end up with the same traffic block as it is now. I'd rather support reconstructing the flyover in its present alignment itself, but with 4 lanes.

Otherwise, we'll require a flyover with interchanges to Karshaka road/Panampilly nagar - but that would require a lot of space. An exit way to Karshaka road is possible and an entry from Panampilly nagar is also possible.

A small query here: If such a flyover is built, what alternative route would you suggest for people who need to take Karshaka road, or the road towards Panampilly Nagar/Passport office area.

If they have to go over the flyover till the end and then take a U turn to head to these places, we will finally end up with the same traffic block as it is now. I'd rather support reconstructing the flyover in its present alignment itself, but with 4 lanes.

Otherwise, we'll require a flyover with interchanges to Karshaka road/Panampilly nagar - but that would require a lot of space. An exit way to Karshaka road is possible and an entry from Panampilly nagar is also possible.

No, the existing SA road is there intact.... All needed is that a wider area from where Approach road has to start, which is ideally Kadavanthara Bus stop-GCDA HQ.... Vehicles bound to Panampally nagar, Manorama Junction, can take exit at Kadavanthara area and proceed like today, while elevated flyover runs over it.... The flyover can be set up in a 2.5 or 3 M wide pillar at the center of the median, so that not much of today's road will be taken over.....

This means, vehicles from SA Road can directly trespass MG Road, Valanjambalam and proceed to Foreshore road, which is least used today.

While vehicles from SA road, bound to MG Road can use exit Kadavanthara to Manorama Junction, enter MG Road via Atlantis Flyover thro' Panamapally nagar. Otherwise, they can use KK Road and also get into MG Road via Salim Rajan or Pullepady flyovers....

This is meant to streamline traffic and reduce all vehicles meeting at MG Road....

While vehicles from SA road, bound to MG Road can use exit Kadavanthara to Manorama Junction, enter MG Road via Atlantis Flyover thro' Panamapally nagar. Otherwise, they can use KK Road and also get into MG Road via Salim Rajan or Pullepady flyovers....


The issue here is that the approaches to Salim Rajan Flyover/Atlantis/Pullepady flyovers need to be wide enough to accomodate the additional rush. MG Road is the busiest road in the CBD area, and building a flyover that would not benefit any users of MG road would be really wasteful, IMO.

Instead, the flyover should commence around Medical Trust Hospital, and may go upto Kadavanthra. However, there should be provision for vehicles in Chittur road to enter the flyover - may be an additional wing. There should be an exit at the point where the current south flyover ends - this can be used by vehicles entering Karshaka road or go below the flyover to enter Panampilly Nagar.

This a gist of what I mean:
http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/8052/southi.jpg

The red line is the flyover. The idea is: For vehicles from MG road to Panampilly nagar, they can take the flyover, and take the exit towards Karshaka road. Go below the new flyover and take a right after Manorama.

The issue here is that the approaches to Salim Rajan Flyover/Atlantis/Pullepady flyovers need to be wide enough to accomodate the additional rush. MG Road is the busiest road in the CBD area, and building a flyover that would not benefit any users of MG road would be really wasteful, IMO.

Well the intention is NOT TO CATER MG ROAD traffic, rather distribute the existing MG Road traffic to other roads, which is not much used. Say a vehicle from Marine Drive area, travel all the way thro' Park Avenue and then today it enters into MG Road at DH Road and proceed to South and SA road.

While there would be existing MG Road traffic moving towards Thevera side... The question here is, segregating Thevera bound vehicles and SA Road bound vehicles.

Thevara bound vehicles may ply in existing MG Road, while those who want to go to SA Road, why should he waste his time in MG Road rush. Let him use the underutilized Foreshore road and Church Landing road (needs to be redesigned) and get out of CBD, rather bring each and everyone to one point in MG Road and creating rush.

Instead, the flyover should commence around Medical Trust Hospital, and may go upto Kadavanthra. However, there should be provision for vehicles in Chittur road to enter the flyover - may be an additional wing. There should be an exit at the point where the current south flyover ends - this can be used by vehicles entering Karshaka road or go below the flyover to enter Panampilly Nagar.

But where is the space to construct additional ramps in Pallimukku, Valanjambalam and Karshaka road. The basic intention is to split MG Road traffic and evenly distribute to other roads, not bring up each and every vehicles back to MG Road. If we start additional ramps in Valanjambalam, Pallimukku, all the vehicles will continue to ply in existing routes than move to new ones...

We have solid experience that most of Kochi vehicles are ready to wait in hours in SA road, instead of diverting via Jawahar Nagar-Subash road which runs parallel to SA road.... Thats the basic nature of Malayalees, that we are not ready to explore new options, rather will stick on with old one, unless its forcibly changed.

Lets make some points here. I am quoting points from your post - but they might not appear in the same order as you posted.

But where is the space to construct additional ramps in Pallimukku, Valanjambalam and Karshaka road.

Now, where is the space to build a four-laned flyover from Kadavanthra to Church Landing road? Remember that its a flyover, not an ROB - so there needs to be provision for vehicles who do not need to use the flyover.

Where is the space in Church Landing road area to have six carriageways (minimum) - four lanes entering the flyover and two running below?

To find space for all these, buildings need to be demolished - that is exactly how space for additional ramps would be found.

Well the intention is NOT TO CATER MG ROAD traffic, rather distribute the existing MG Road traffic to other roads, which is not much used.

So the intention is NOT to cater to MG Road rush. But, tell me, how do you think a person from, say, a place near the Railway Station should go to a place on SA road. By the design of the flyover you propose, he should either go towards Salim Rajan Flyover - this will happen only if Chittur road is widened to comfortably carry two way traffic - that is NOT the case today.

The basic intention is to split MG Road traffic and evenly distribute to other roads, not bring up each and every vehicles back to MG Road.

But this intention can be met only when ALL the alternative roads have sufficient width to carry the traffic. Take the case of Pullepady bridge itself - the bridge is an amazing way to beat the traffic for those who want to travel from Kaloor to MG Road - but the approach roads on both side of the bridge it hell narrow - and the issue of paying Toll for the bridge. Its unfair to charge tolls on bridges constructed inside the city.

We have solid experience that most of Kochi vehicles are ready to wait in hours in SA road, instead of diverting via Jawahar Nagar-Subash road which runs parallel to SA road.

Instead of blindly blaming the mentality of Malayalees, can you point me to atleast a single proper board that would help people use alternatives? The Corporation can surely erect boards to remind people of alternatives

And, have you been on the Jawahar Nagar-Subash road stretch anytime recently? The traffic on that road has increased to such levels that the stretch is a bigger nightmare than SA road itself. I used to use this alternative earlier - but shifted back to SA road after the alternatives became more crowded.

I somehow cannot agree to the concept of building a flyover that doesn't serve the most important road in Kochi's CBD area - such a bridge would only add to the confusion of people - especially new comers who would have to take umpteen turns and transverse a lot of smaller roads to reach his destination - all the while a grand bridge handles only a few vehicles.

Remember the fact that a flyover of the alignment you propose would mean having to widen all the roads in the area, which is going to cost a lot more money than adding a couple more entry/exits for the flyover. I rest my case here.

Thanks Binaiks for your valuable comments. Its good that this forum is discussing lot of healthy points, which is very useful. I may be not as expert as you, but still my experience of being with the city helps me to raise a few points, which I feel better..... My replies...:)


Now, where is the space to build a four-laned flyover from Kadavanthra to Church Landing road? Remember that its a flyover, not an ROB - so there needs to be provision for vehicles who do not need to use the flyover.

The space is over road, which means extactly over the existing road.... Well, normally space is required for carriageways at the approach road area, for the exits. Thats why I suggested Kadavanthara Bus stop area, as the area has more than 30 M wide existing, compared to the actual width of 4 lane road of SA. In addition, any further widening is possible without private land acquisition, as GCDA has lot of frontage space equally. This means the 4 lane approach road can start as usual to the current width of the road, while roads to side can start from existing bus bay, which get back to existing 4 lane road of SA road once the flyover is elevated. No acquisition is required.

Where is the space in Church Landing road area to have six carriageways (minimum) - four lanes entering the flyover and two running below?

Regarding Church Landing road, currently there are 2 roads each measuring 6 m with a wide bare plot of land in center of it. The Church itself has encroached the govt land by constructing a small shed, which later upgraded into a small orphanage. This can taken over by issuing TDR so that Church can construct a facility on other side even violating Corporation norms.

Church Landing road can easily be made into 4 lane road, as on one side its of encroachments. I know very well of this area. The approach road of this flyover can ends at the bare plot of the center of the road, which the govt can take over by paying compensation. Whats the use of such a huge plot which is now a thick shrub forest in center of the city. The current 2 side roads, automatically will become exit road to MG Road.

The LA costs are minimal, if properly planned. Ofcourse, I am well aware of political and other interests, which may inflate the costs......


To find space for all these, buildings need to be demolished - that is exactly how space for additional ramps would be found.

Not exactly required. Currently no further LA is required in Kadavanthara side and once the road is elevated, it runs parallel over the existing road, which again makes no acquisition. From Pallimukku to Church Landing side, there are

1. Church shed now an orphanage
2. A few old shops around 3 or 4 which all are tile roofed one, so cost of acquisition is also minimal.
3. One large bare plot, which I don't know whether its Govt porumboke or not....

At any cost these acquisitions are not going to be as serious as one going to happen from Jos junction to South Railway station as part of Metro.

So the intention is NOT to cater to MG Road rush. But, tell me, how do you think a person from, say, a place near the Railway Station should go to a place on SA road. By the design of the flyover you propose, he should either go towards Salim Rajan Flyover - this will happen only if Chittur road is widened to comfortably carry two way traffic - that is NOT the case today.

Well, there are two ways of looking a sitution, One status quo or other way....

The intention is to simplify the traffic congestion the CBD.... If a person who arrives EKM South, he should have two options to reach SA Road, either East Gate access, so that he can reach directly to SA road without crossing South or if using West Gate, he can use MG Road and reach Atlantis and cross further to reach SA road.

Naturally the best option is development of East Gate. If we can lobby right from PM for 5000 crore metro, it won't be a big matter to get Railways take over GCDA station and make it full fledged East Gate Access. A slight improvements to Karshaka road, Market road, would take a passenger directly to SA road, which catching the nose around the neck.

But this intention can be met only when ALL the alternative roads have sufficient width to carry the traffic. Take the case of Pullepady bridge itself - the bridge is an amazing way to beat the traffic for those who want to travel from Kaloor to MG Road - but the approach roads on both side of the bridge it hell narrow - and the issue of paying Toll for the bridge. Its unfair to charge tolls on bridges constructed inside the city.

Well, for that all only a sum of 25 crore alloted by CM to corporation for fastening the LA.... If they are going to applease everyone, including Thammam Shaji and get the road widen, then it would take ages.... In every way, the revenue department must directly take over LA proceedings and fasten the LA over there. Fund is already there, and people are willing for LA... But corporation guys has to please many one, which is not our issue...

Yes, Toll inside the city is unjustified. Probably it has to be moved to annuity basis.

Instead of blindly blaming the mentality of Malayalees, can you point me to atleast a single proper board that would help people use alternatives? The Corporation can surely erect boards to remind people of alternatives

Well, I won't blame newbies to the city. Well, what about those who have been to the city for pretty long time and knows all side roads.... I have seen how guys in Bangalore, Chennai, adapting to all kinds of side roads, whether sign board is there or not..... But the basic issue is that, we are not ready for it. My driver, used to take me from my old home in Girinagar to Kaloor via Mg road, crossing two biggest bottlenecks, South and North. I had to forcibly make him use KK road later onwards, which he never likes it. Don't have any reasons for it.....

How many guys here have used Girinagar Cross road to reach Manorama Junction, rather waiting in ques at Kadavanthara stop in SA road. I have seen only very few ever doing that.....

Again, the best way to reach Kakkanad from NH Byepass is Puthiya Road which directly opens to Palachodu and takes right in front of collectorate. I have never seen any of my friends , despite of knowing this route, using this. Everyone wants only the Vazhakala route and wait there for hours.... Ofcourse the road is narrow, but surely why not take a chance than waiting hours on main road.....

I agree, lack of sign board is an issue. But those who knows the road, must try alternatives, rather sticking to one single road....

And, have you been on the Jawahar Nagar-Subash road stretch anytime recently? The traffic on that road has increased to such levels that the stretch is a bigger nightmare than SA road itself. I used to use this alternative earlier - but shifted back to SA road after the alternatives became more crowded.

Several times. I never found much issue. Ofcourse bus traffic increased, but not much of private vechicles. Maybe you have once or twice experience during congestion times. Untill recently, my home was in Girinagar area and I used to come to Reliance Jawahar Nagar for shopping regularly as well as for my walks. So I regularly used it.... Now I have moved to Kakkanad, but whenever I am in Kochi, I have often used this road.....

I somehow cannot agree to the concept of building a flyover that doesn't serve the most important road in Kochi's CBD area - such a bridge would only add to the confusion of people - especially new comers who would have to take umpteen turns and transverse a lot of smaller roads to reach his destination - all the while a grand bridge handles only a few vehicles.

Well, the importance of a road is made by humans, depending upon needs and necessity over a period of time. It can be altered too. There was a time, canals forming the lifeline of Kochi's transportation, which all people forgot now and we are in process of reviving it back. There was a time, Chittoor road was the main Arterial road and people using only it..... There was a time, when every Vehicles from Northern side, going to Southern side of Kerala, pass thro' MG Road and Edakochi, which also now became unnecessary.

So gradually the concept of centering around MG road has to go away. The basic intention of flyover, subways, road, metro etc is to divert traffic and reduce congestion. In my personal opinion, MG Road traffic should be diverted as much as possible, to allow breathing space for the road. For this, forcible actions like this might be required.

Remember the fact that a flyover of the alignment you propose would mean having to widen all the roads in the area, which is going to cost a lot more money than adding a couple more entry/exits for the flyover. I rest my case here.

Well, I am sure, that you have not got the idea of my proposed alignment. I am well aware of conditions on ground. So I rest my case, constructing an elevated parallel road to existing SA road, keeping both SA road and flyover intact, while allowing exit to SA road and MG road at existing Kacheripady Bus stop and Large plot of church landing road respectively, at least acquisitions.

Perhaps, I can post a few maps soon, to help you understand the concept soon.

The intention is to simplify the traffic congestion the CBD.... If a person who arrives EKM South, he should have two options to reach SA Road, either East Gate access, so that he can reach directly to SA road without crossing South or if using West Gate, he can use MG Road and reach Atlantis and cross further to reach SA road.


Here is the issue - by closing south overbridge for road users in MG road, you are only building up traffic on other routes. Atlantis is still on the drawing board - unless and until the byroads are ready, the situation is only getting worse.

You talked about the flyover time and again - but you are mum on the issue of developing byroads. By building a long flyover - which benefits only a selected few and asking others to "find their own way", the traffic situation is not going to change anywhere.

I agree that traffic on MG road needs to be reduced, but forcing people to take smaller roads will only have a boomerang effect - people will find loopholes to continue using MG road and thereby worsening traffic.

You were speaking of people not using byroads - In majority of the cases, I find the byroads in poor condition - either poor surface or narrow roads. Not every person is comfortable driving through narrow roads.

My point is, If South overbridge is redeveloped, it should help passengers on MG Road. That road is the nerve centre of CBD, and IT IS NOT GOING TO CHANGE so quickly.


Several times. I never found much issue. Ofcourse bus traffic increased, but not much of private vechicles. Maybe you have once or twice experience during congestion times.

I've used the road during all possible hours of the day - the situation was never better. I am talking of my experience in the past couple of months. Prior to that that was my preferred route during evening peak hours - believe it or not, I've traveled Vyttila-Edappally via Subash Road-Kathrikadavu-Stadium-Palarivattam, and reached before vehicles that took the bypass - all during 5pm-6pm time.

Some other points: I came to Kerala only two years ago - So I am not well versed with the roads you mention. Like every newbie coming to the city, I too join the crowd. Everytime I tried taking an alternative route, I end up with horribly narrow roads without any kind of signboards that'd help me reach my place. In my first experience on the Jawahar Nagar route, It was my luck that I landed up at Kathrikadavu without losing way. There was no kind of signboards any where.

For the city to undergo a change in its traffic scene, the roads in the CBD area need to be redeveloped. Without developing byroads, there is no way the traffic on MG Road can be reduced.

^^
The best approach in my opinion is to retain the present South Overbridge as it is, and build a new elevated road (2 lane or 4 lane depending on space availability) starting from Kadavanthara and ending at Church Landing Road and over the existing South ROB. A similar structure exists at Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu. LA in Church Landing Road for a 4 lane road is possible, but however very difficult owing to pressures from various lobbies.

If this is not possible, even constructing another parallel bridge next to the existing ROB (space is available) would suffice.

The alignment of the metro passes over Ramankutty Achan Road (the road alongside the ROB leading to Karshaka Road. So South ROB will not be affected by the metro.)

Atlantis ROB is not over the existing bridge or gate owing to the high tension line. It takes a new alignment somewhere south of the present road, so a 4 lane bridge should be possible. This new bridge, if aligned properly with Shihab Thangal Road > Bund Road and extending the Bund Road with the proposed new bridge to Nettur will provide a good parallel road to SA Road and take off traffic considerably from SA Road.

Regarding people not utilizing pocket roads, it is very often for good reasons: poor potholed roads, narrow roads that may create nightmarish traffic snarls if some other vehicle comes from the opposite side and simply lack of awareness. Whenever viable, people have indeed patronized alternative roads as the Subash Chandra Bose between Kadavanthara and Vytilla shows.

Friends,

I am proposing some maps, which is my proposal for elevated South Flyover from SA road to Church Landing road. I am posting both the approach areas, to point out not much acquisitions is required

http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/1108/graphicdrawnsaroad.png

The flyover can start from Kadavanthara Bus Stop area. The approach road starts current road, while exit roads to current SA starts on side of flyover's approach road, using GCDA's frontage and Bus stand area. The exit takes to current SA Road which is exactly below to proposed Flyover

Now I am going to talk about how flyover ends at Church Landing road

http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/2451/graphicflyoverchurchlan.png

The flyover will pass over Pallimukku and cross to CL Road. The landing approach of this flyover happens over current bare land in center of that 2 roads in Church Landing road, to be acquired and taken over by Govt.

Now I will also show how exit roads works to expanded Church Landing which is to be made 4 lane, making a logical connection to SA road.

http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/3076/graphicgroundchurchland.png

The red lines show how current roads work as exit to Church landing road. The current 2 lane church landing road has to be expanded to 4 lane, acquiring 4 red dotted properties on its Northern side.

The Church will have to lose the shed, which they can built in northern side as space is there. Then 3 other properties are basically built on encroached land.

Perhaps the major acquistions happens to foreshore side. But thats not a nessecity now, unless traffic picks up. Its possible to expand foreshore road, by reclaiming land from sea and in future Park Avenue also have to be four laned providing a logical 4 lane connectivity untill Goshree.

Perhaps this alone can make first circle as part of a circular road around Kochi.

Where is the Proposed land for Metro rail coach depot located. Is it between Ambattukavu and Muttom or between Muttom and Premier.

Here is the issue - by closing south overbridge for road users in MG road, you are only building up traffic on other routes. Atlantis is still on the drawing board - unless and until the byroads are ready, the situation is only getting worse.

Well, South Flyover has sense only if Atlantis comes up as well as Salim Rajan flyover and Pullepady-Thammam Road gets widen. Ofcourse, within next 5 years, I have full hopes for this.

You talked about the flyover time and again - but you are mum on the issue of developing byroads. By building a long flyover - which benefits only a selected few and asking others to "find their own way", the traffic situation is not going to change anywhere.

My mum or active speak doesn't matter much. Yes, I too join with you that most of byroads are not well developed or many are in bad shape. Such roads have to be repaired and only then traffic gets streamlined. In a densely populated Business city like ours, we cannot expect N Number of Land acquisitions and make 6 Lane or 10 lane road. So development of byroads and usage of it, atleast by natives who are aware of it, can help others use main roads. But unfortunately this is not there is our culture, as everyone wants the same old route....

I agree that traffic on MG road needs to be reduced, but forcing people to take smaller roads will only have a boomerang effect - people will find loopholes to continue using MG road and thereby worsening traffic.

With development of 3 flyovers, I am sure the traffic will reduce over a period. Since SA Road is one main source to bring in traffic to MG Road, taking it Foreshore road, will reduce slightly and traffic evenly moves to other flyovers....

Over a period of time, MG Road will lose its status of arterial road and NH Byepass become city's main road. Thats coming an active leadership should plan, considering as vision for Kochi City's development, while SP/AP making new byepass road.

You were speaking of people not using byroads - In majority of the cases, I find the byroads in poor condition - either poor surface or narrow roads. Not every person is comfortable driving through narrow roads.

Even if a byroad is in excellent condition, people rarely use it. Just for example, Foreshore road and Church Landing road are better roads, then whats the use of majority of cars from Park Avenue to divert at DH Road and get into MG Road? They can easily travel via former and reach Pallimukku and move directly to South Overbridge.

Another example, there are no much trains from 11:00 AM to 2:00 Pm, which means cars from Thevara side can move to SA road via Atlantis Gate and Panampally Nagar, instead of congesting at South ROB.... Most of cars from W.island prefer to use City roads to reach NH Bypass instead of exploring well maintained NH 49 Madurai Highway via Kundanoor Bridge.

This is mainly because we prefer to go regular routes, rather new ones. I have seen this commonly, because during my vacations I usually hire drivers as I don't drive back in Kochi and most of them use this way. Even asking them other roads, they say this is better.... Some cases, I force them to use, when I am in rush to reach a place.....


Some other points: I came to Kerala only two years ago - So I am not well versed with the roads you mention. Like every newbie coming to the city, I too join the crowd. Everytime I tried taking an alternative route, I end up with horribly narrow roads without any kind of signboards that'd help me reach my place. In my first experience on the Jawahar Nagar route, It was my luck that I landed up at Kathrikadavu without losing way. There was no kind of signboards any where.

I join with you that lack of sign boards really affect us. This I hope can be done as it don't cost much... Now a days, as part of Metro works, lot of such boards have come up. I hope such moves will help.

For the city to undergo a change in its traffic scene, the roads in the CBD area need to be redeveloped. Without developing byroads, there is no way the traffic on MG Road can be reduced.

You may note my words, Kochi's MG Road cannot remain as city's arterial road, given the fact, the city is growing at an amazing rate. A metro in making, this city cannot afford such a congested narrow road as its prime business hub. Its has to go. Ofcourse, I understand lot of pain is felt when one arterial has to go and others to rise, as it happened in Kochi several point of time in our glorious history. Let time prove that.

You may note my words, Kochi's MG Road cannot remain as city's arterial road, given the fact, the city is growing at an amazing rate. A metro in making, this city cannot afford such a congested narrow road as its prime business hub. Its has to go. Ofcourse, I understand lot of pain is felt when one arterial has to go and others to rise, as it happened in Kochi several point of time in our glorious history. Let time prove that.

I do now wish to say that MG Road should remain the City's arterial road - infact, in a good city there would be no single road that becomes are arterial road.

In case of Kochi, a lot of businesses have already moved out to the Bypass, and a lot more are following suit. So badly, that Kochi urgently needs another bypass! I'd actually recommend developing the Seaport-Airport road, suitably extended to meet NH17 somewhere between Vyttila/Kundannoor and Aroor. Thats another topic we will have a debate on.

I am not suggesting that the flyover you recommend would not work - but only suggest that an entry/exit aimed at MG Road should be added - it can infact be something like the small bridges North Overbridge had on its sides (the ones that are being demolished now).

About people not using byroads - once these roads are developed into good motorable roads (wide enough to let two vehicles pass-by simultaneously - without one having to wait for the other), the corporation should go around placing good signboards - atleast new-comers to the city would start using them. Once newcomers move to the roads, word would spread and so would regular users start taking them.

The number of users who used the Vallarpadam Container Road was less around the time the road was opened for traffic - the scene is different now.

Train timings to and from Kochi changes. Pls be aware of new timings.

http://epaper.mathrubhumi.com/epaperimages/31102011/31102011-md-ek-20/53749625.JPG

Even if a byroad is in excellent condition, people rarely use it. Just for example, Foreshore road and Church Landing road are better roads, then whats the use of majority of cars from Park Avenue to divert at DH Road and get into MG Road? They can easily travel via former and reach Pallimukku and move directly to South Overbridge.

This is because the traffic police has imposed a one-way on the end-stretch and vehicles from Church landing Road cannot enter M G Road or cross over to SA Road. If vehicles use Fore Shore Road they would have to either come back to Warriam Road or take a round-about way via Madhavan Nair Road - Sreekandath Road to reach Pallimukku. This makes the entire trip via Fore Shore Road an exercise in futility, prompting vehicles to use DH Road.


Another example, there are no much trains from 11:00 AM to 2:00 Pm, which means cars from Thevara side can move to SA road via Atlantis Gate and Panampally Nagar, instead of congesting at South ROB.... Most of cars from W.island prefer to use City roads to reach NH Bypass instead of exploring well maintained NH 49 Madurai Highway via Kundanoor Bridge.

The trains between 11 AM and 2 PM for which Atlantis gate remains closed are
1. Cannanore -Alleppey Express
2. Kayamkulam - Ernakulam Passenger
3. North India bound Sampak Kranti Group of trains
4. TVC bound Rapti Sagar Group of trains
5. Netravathi Express
This is in addition to any goods trains that usually ply during these times.

If the gate is closed, a traffic jam develops to the extent that the vehicles often remain trapped until the gate closes for a second time. So people would as well as opt for a more reliable South ROB (even if delayed by a few minutes) rather than try their luck with the gate.

But there is another option to avoid the railway gate for cars from Willingdon Island that most people do not know about: Pandit Karuppan Road > Chakkakkal Road > Varghese Thittel Road > P J Antony Road > Koithara Road > Panimpilly Nagar. Taking a right turn from Koithara Road leads to Yuvajana Samajam Road > Amala Bhawan Road > Chilavanoor Bund Road to end at Thykoodam Underpass at the Bye Pass.

If all goes well, visitors to Kochi need not worry about being cheated or misled by taxi drivers any more. As part of a scheme to ensure the safety of commuters in the city, the district administration has come up with a scheme to install Global Positioning System (GPS) devices in all taxis operating within the city limits.

“The GPS devices will be installed in autorickshaws, cars and other vehicles meant for hire. Initially, this will be done in 500 vehicles operating near the (Nedumbassery) airport and the railway stations. More vehicles will be included in the later stages,” said District Collector P I Sheik Pareeth. “Automated tracking system (ATS) will be used to monitor the vehicles. The project will be implemented with the help of the Motor Vehicles Department and the police,” he added. Currently available technology like security cameras with the traffic police and the like will also be utilised for the project.

The ATS units will cost anywhere between `5,000 and `10,000, said Pareeth.
Meanwhile, such a tracking system is already in place in some of the cab companies that provide services to Infopark employees in Kochi.

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/city-taxis-to-have-global-positioning-system/198138-60-122.html

The ‘snail’s pace’ policy of the Kochi Corporation seems to be affecting the water transportation sector as well. Three months ago, the Kochi Corporation decided to entrust the KITCO with the responsibility of preparing a detailed project report on water transportation in the city. Unfortunately, the plans continue to be on paper. Town Planning Committee chairman K J Sohan said: “We are still awaiting sanction for the project to be handed over to the KITCO.”

Also, the corporation had announced that it would start a water transportation company to solve the woes of water transport in Kochi. Earlier, the Cities Development Initiative for Asia (CDIA) conducted a feasibility study on the waterways in Kochi and mooted the setting up of a company to manage the water transport sector. Accordingly, the corporation included the proposal to launch a company similar to CIAL in its 2011 annual budget.

“A water transportation company is the key to solving the problems of water transportation in a city that has the potential to develop as the hub of water transport. This decision by the corporation is crucial for the development of our boats and jetties. Currently, the state of our jetties under the Kerala Water Transport Authority is pathetic,” Sohan said.

According to the feasibility study, improving water transport in Kochi will help in avoiding dense traffic situations in the city. “Once, a water transportation company is set up, the perennial problem of traffic blocks can be resolved,” K J Sohan said. Blaming the corporation’s never ending excuses on developmental issues, Island South Councillor N Venugopal said, “How can you expect the corporation authorities who gave away the maintenance of water boats from different boat jetties on contract basis to take up the responsibility of setting up a water transportation company? Since, they could not keep the promise of setting up a special purpose vehicle to start Volvo services in the city, it would not be surprising if they have not moved a paper on this yet.”

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/corporation-plan-comes-a-cropper/198139-60-122.html

New committees formed to handle land acquisition for metro rail project. Decision is to complete the acquisition with in 4 to 10 months.

Manorama (http://www.manoramaonline.com/cgi-bin/MMOnline.dll/portal/ep/malayalamContentView.do?tabId=11&programId=1073753760&BV_ID=@@@&contentId=10352815&contentType=EDITORIAL&articleType=Malayalam%20News)

Tom Jose said the centre's nod for Metro rail is expected in 3 weeks. 3 months ago, they said it will work out in 2 months. 1 month before, they told its gonna be ready in 1 month, now its 3 weeks. There is improvement!! :nuts:

Tom Jose said the centre's nod for Metro rail is expected in 3 weeks. 3 months ago, they said it will work out in 2 months. 1 month before, they told its gonna be ready in 1 month, now its 3 weeks. There is improvement!! :nuts:

Actually the delay now cause is purely technical in nature. There are few reports required from Multiple ministries in Kerala, such as Local Self Govt Dept, Finance Department, Transport and Revenue, regarding multiple issues like Land Acquisition, feeder transport, city master plans, financing options, MOU with JICA etc.... As far as I understand, the deal is DONE. Only bureaucratic procedures underway.

Anyway Tom Jose is in Delhi from yesterday onwards, for a sitting with Finance Ministry officials and Urban development. In Manorama News, he said, the entire file process moving here and there will take around 1.5 months more in Delhi.

Afterall, its a matter of multiple ministries. One thing is sure, the deal is done, as PMO itself has intervened and there is only 1% chance of thinking otherway around.....

Actually the delay now cause is purely technical in nature. There are few reports required from Multiple ministries in Kerala, such as Local Self Govt Dept, Finance Department, Transport and Revenue, regarding multiple issues like Land Acquisition, feeder transport, city master plans, financing options, MOU with JICA etc.... As far as I understand, the deal is DONE. Only bureaucratic procedures underway.

Anyway Tom Jose is in Delhi from yesterday onwards, for a sitting with Finance Ministry officials and Urban development. In Manorama News, he said, the entire file process moving here and there will take around 1.5 months more in Delhi.

Afterall, its a matter of multiple ministries. One thing is sure, the deal is done, as PMO itself has intervened and there is only 1% chance of thinking otherway around.....

earlier , they had reservation abt population using metro . Now with revised census city population is 2.1 Mn UA , this barring the floating population . I guess this wud be enough to justify as far as usage is concerned .
one more point raised is project wont be viable with just users fee , this needs to be addressed ,
i guess its only technical issue of putting pen to papaer and clear the file.

Media lobbies for Kochi Metropolitan Transport Authority

http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/9984/33124328.jpg

The turf between KSRTC-VMH now turns out to be a blessing in disguise as most of the newspapers and media along with VMH itself looking out for Central Govt policy on Urban transportation for a common Unified Metropolitian Transport Authority that has powers to decide the entire route planning and control of entire Urban based transportation, including KSRTC buses, STWD Ferries, Private buses, Autos etc.

The Cochin's Centre for Public Policy and Research, CPPR is now preparing a study report for formation of such an authority converting Vytila Mobility Hub Society into KMTA.

As per Central Govt's National Urban Transport Policy, Metropolitian cities are required to have its own unified Urban Transport Authority. Currently, UTMAs have been formed in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad.

As far as Kochi is concerned, officials and support facilities for such UTMA is already available in form of VMH Society, which can be easily converted into KMTA based on a Govt order.

What is proposed Kochi Metropolitian Transport Authority

The new authority will consist of Board of Governors each representing KSRTC, Association of Private Buses Owners, State Water Transport, Inland Navigation Corporation, Representative of Auto Unions, respresentatives of every Urban civic bodies within Kochi U/A, Southern Railways, Kochi Metro Rail Corporation, Traffic Police, Ernakulam Motor Vehicles Department, RTO, Representative of district administration etc will be formed.

The Authority will have full powers to decide route planning of entire public transportation and roads networks along with powers to add or reduce any mode of public transport to any region for temporary periods like festivals, sporting events, tourism events etc or premanently implement as part of any policy to be declared by authority.

Being an apex coordinating authority, miscommunication between multiple agencies can be avoided completely and no need for wait for coordination conferences to be called by Ministers etc.

In addition, with implementation of GPS facilities, the authority can decide route planning even on day to day basis, say if a train is delayed buses near to the station need not ply or number of buses to station can be increased when a train arrives etc....

The JnNURM funding for urban transportation mandates for SPVs for managing the transport brought under its funding. Since there was no such in Cochin at the time of funding, KSRTC is managing it. And now they are even proposing to divert buses alloted to Kochi U/A to outside District services, proving their inability to handle it. In such an event, formation of a powerful authority to decide its own transportation planning and execution is atmost important.

Meanwhile Beena, the MD of VMH and RBCK assured her support for such a move.


Its a good move, which is utmost important for Kerala's largest Metropolitian city with more than 2.2 Million population, to have a quality public transportation with a powerful leadership at helm, rather than multiple agencies working out with egos and self interests without considering the larger interests of public.

Hope it becomes a reality....:banana::banana: The Piravom Byelection, will prove lot of blessing for Ernakulam, to get much of its demands done.

Its a good move, which is utmost important for Kerala's largest Metropolitian city with more than 2.2 Million population, to have a quality public transportation with a powerful leadership at helm, rather than multiple agencies working out with egos and self interests without considering the larger interests of public.

Although I was initially against the idea of an SPV for operation of JnNURM buses, looking at the way KSRTC had handled the show, I wholeheartedly agree to the demand.

The city operations in Bangalore/Chennai/Mumbai, etc are better only because the corporation looks after only the city operations! Being a locally based corporation, the company is able to look after the city's demands better (I am not claiming that the corporations in any of the cities I mentioned are doing a great job).

They should form a separate corporation for operating city services in Kochi - preferably, the Thirukochi services should also be transferred to them. In return, KSRTC may be given some stake in the corporation. The Corporation should be owned by the Government (holding the majority stake). KSRTC, and Local Self-Governments in the area should be made stakeholders (LSGs are being included only to impart the feeling of the company being made for the local people).

To begin with, the corporation should be allowed to use KSRTC's maintenance facilities - atleast till the corporation becomes independent.

Although I was initially against the idea of an SPV for operation of JnNURM buses, looking at the way KSRTC had handled the show, I wholeheartedly agree to the demand.

The city operations in Bangalore/Chennai/Mumbai, etc are better only because the corporation looks after only the city operations! Being a locally based corporation, the company is able to look after the city's demands better (I am not claiming that the corporations in any of the cities I mentioned are doing a great job).

They should form a separate corporation for operating city services in Kochi - preferably, the Thirukochi services should also be transferred to them. In return, KSRTC may be given some stake in the corporation. The Corporation should be owned by the Government (holding the majority stake). KSRTC, and Local Self-Governments in the area should be made stakeholders (LSGs are being included only to impart the feeling of the company being made for the local people).

To begin with, the corporation should be allowed to use KSRTC's maintenance facilities - atleast till the corporation becomes independent.

Well, in my opinion, the entire public transport of Kochi should fall under one single company or corporation, like Dubai's RTA model, which even includes Kochi Metro too.

Ofcourse, private buses can be allowed, untill their term exists. Beyond that, even that slot must be nationalized and taken over by the corporation or leased to a professional run companies having a fleet of atleast 10 buses and 3 A/C Buses, something like New Delhi did recently.

Once the entire public transport falls under the corporation, not only it can effectively plan the operations, but also can make money like CIAL modeal. In my opinion, it should be made as a company, with say 49% Govt holdings, 10-30% general public and remaining by corporate houses based on their stake.

It shall raise the bar of quality of transport and if key dedicated IAS administrators, say a personality like Dr.Beena or Tom Jose or Jayakumar etc made at helm of affairs, it shall run for the best interests of public as well as making more money, so that it returns back to the city in form of new urban facilities.

KSRTC is an unprofessional agency, who knows only to mess up. Such bodies must never be given free hand in Urban transport, which is lifeline of a development of city.

^^^^^^^^

Equally, once there is a strong corporation/company handling unified urban transport, we can think of introducing company owned city taxis, which is equally important. In a slow phase, we have to phase out polluting, traffic congestion creating autos and we cannot do overnight. As an incentive, if corporation can make a bulk purchase of cars from a single company, say Tata Nano or Maruti Alto, a considerable savings can be made, which can be passed to those auto drivers who are ready to move into it. Some of interest-subsidized or moratorium kind of initiatives like done for CIAL's CATS Taxis can change the life of many drivers, improve quality of urban transport and better services.

The city operations in Bangalore/Chennai/Mumbai, etc are better only because the corporation looks after only the city operations! Being a locally based corporation

But do you know how worst is the connectivity with outside city in these places? In Mumbai connectivity from Mumbai to outside BEST's service area limits is Worst.

eg. Vasai-Virar (FYI, this is a satellite city of Mumbai, at around 50 kms from churchgate , CBD of Mumbai, with 12 lac, population in vasai-virar corporation limits) is not at all connected to Mumbai city by bus (neither MSRTC nor BEST).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasai-Virar
below is a quote from above wiki link:
MSRTC Vasai-Virar Town Bus from Vasai-Virar Town to Mumbai City
Currently No Bus Route Available.

A seperate transport coroporation for Kochi, should not lead to such a situation.

To avoid such problems, the urban transport coroporations limit may be set to 60-80 km radius irrespective of district/UA boundaries, including Thrissur ,Alleppy, Thodupuzha. This will cater to all population who is doing updown to city daily, and areas where city in future will grow .

Not sure about situation in Bangalore & Chennai.

Ofcourse, private buses can be allowed, untill their term exists. Beyond that, even that slot must be nationalized and taken over by the corporation or leased to a professional run companies having a fleet of atleast 10 buses and 3 A/C Buses, something like New Delhi did recently.


Wishful thinking is all I can say - the moment the government tries to do something like this, you'll have someone filing a case in the court - and the court would give a stay even without considering the merits/de-merits. By the time the stay is vacated, the ground realities would've moved from bad to worst.


Once the entire public transport falls under the corporation, not only it can effectively plan the operations, but also can make money like CIAL modeal. In my opinion, it should be made as a company, with say 49% Govt holdings, 10-30% general public and remaining by corporate houses based on their stake.


I somehow do not agree to including corporate houses in an organisation that deals with transportation - transportation is a "service", and should not be turned a business. In my experience, Corporates have only managed to mess things - in India, atleast. But yes, making shares open to the public is a good idea, but the major controlling stake should remain with the government.


KSRTC is an unprofessional agency, who knows only to mess up. Such bodies must never be given free hand in Urban transport, which is lifeline of a development of city.

I am sorry, but I do not agree with you. KSRTC is not an unprofessional agency - but it being turned into one by selfish politicians. Every route than harms a private operator is cancelled - even if that route is a money spinner for KSRTC - this does not happen because KSRTC wants to help private operators, but because politicians want to. I've seen very dedicated staff in KSRTC, who try their bit to increase the earnings of KSRTC. So, its unfair to brand the entire organisation.

But do you know how worst is the connectivity with outside city in these places? In Mumbai connectivity from Mumbai to outside BEST's service area limits is Worst.

How worst is it? There are train services every 3-5 minutes, and hardly anyone travel on buses that run parallel to trains. There are bus services operated by most Local Self-Governments outside Mumbai - Navi Mumbai has NMMT, Thane has TMT, Kalyan-Dombivali has KDMT, Mira-Bhayender has MBMT. Ambernath and Ulhasnagar has started their own operations with mini buses. The last I heard was Panvel was also starting its own services.

MSRTC has a separate division to take care of the Vasai-Virar area - Palghar division takes care of these areas, even though these areas come under Thane District. MSRTC has been doing a decent job in connecting areas in Vasai-Virar belt, to their nearest railway stations.

When you have an efficient railway system, asking for bus connectivity to every part of Mumbai is unfair.


eg. Vasai-Virar (FYI, this is a satellite city of Mumbai, at around 50 kms from churchgate , CBD of Mumbai, with 12 lac, population in vasai-virar corporation limits) is not at all connected to Mumbai city by bus (neither MSRTC nor BEST).

I've spend the best part of my life in Navi Mumbai. Remember the fact that the suburbs from Mira Road to Virar are well connected with Mumbai by frequent train services - I doubt if anybody would want to travel from Virar or Vasai to Mumbai. Trains are much faster and options are higher.

BEST is an undertaking of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (now Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai - MCGM) - their operations are mainly within MCGM limits. They operate upto 30kms from MCGM limits. Navi Mumbai has very good bus services from Mumbai - since train services are/were poor.


A seperate transport coroporation for Kochi, should not lead to such a situation.

To avoid such problems, the urban transport coroporations limit may be set to 60-80 km radius irrespective of district/UA boundaries, including Thrissur ,Alleppy, Thodupuzha. This will cater to all population who is doing updown to city daily, and areas where city in future will grow .


I am sorry, but the corporation should focus on operating within the UA - we are not talking of a corporation that serves all people who intend to travel from their homes to Kochi. KSRTC still exists, and all long routes should be handled by KSRTC only.

The new company should play only a small role in operating services on mofussil routes - for the simple reason that the corporation is NOT meant for that.

Taking an example of BMTC (Bangalore) - BMTC operates some services on moffusil routes like Chikkaballapura, Hoskote, Anekal, etc. These services are in addition to the ones operated by KSRTC (Karnataka). That model should be replicated in Kochi as well - the new corporation can continue to handle Non-AC LF/AC-LF services to Kothamangalam/Muvattupuzha/Koothattukulam, etc, while focusing mainly on city routes, and short mofussil routes. No interdistrict routes, please.

Wishful thinking is all I can say - the moment the government tries to do something like this, you'll have someone filing a case in the court - and the court would give a stay even without considering the merits/de-merits. By the time the stay is vacated, the ground realities would've moved from bad to worst.

Very true. The case of increasing the limit from 650 to more is still under Court's consideration. Ofcourse, its lobbies in both Judiciary and govt freezing cases in the court to buy more time. Else there were many such public interest cases resolved within months. Or such matters can be referred for Arbitration, which too donot happen due to selfish interests for few. But as said, over a period of time, such things has to move, be it in peaceful way or in a violent way......

I somehow do not agree to including corporate houses in an organisation that deals with transportation - transportation is a "service", and should not be turned a business. In my experience, Corporates have only managed to mess things - in India, atleast. But yes, making shares open to the public is a good idea, but the major controlling stake should remain with the government.

Well corporates are meant to provide a check and balance within an organization. In CIAL, the presence of corporates like Galfar or Emke or Synite etc donot make much unlike Siemens or GVK in Bangalore or other airports in the country.

But they act as a counter balance against govt's political moves as well as act as a balance for development and commercial interests. Else this authority will soon turn out another KSRTC, if left to all politicians controlling it. In CIAL eminent IAS/ professionals rule the board, simply because the corporate executive directors vetos any politicians occupying the position. Such a sitution is required for VMH, else tommorrow we might see people like Chammany or Venugopal or Josephine fighting for the top post and the authority turning into another GCDA.....

I am sorry, but I do not agree with you. KSRTC is not an unprofessional agency - but it being turned into one by selfish politicians. Every route than harms a private operator is cancelled - even if that route is a money spinner for KSRTC - this does not happen because KSRTC wants to help private operators, but because politicians want to. I've seen very dedicated staff in KSRTC, who try their bit to increase the earnings of KSRTC. So, its unfair to brand the entire organisation.

I never say KSRTC as whole is an unprofessional agency. I have seen the level of courtesy which the conductors and drivers extend to all people, unlike rude behaviour of private bus operators or in some other states. But whats the use, when the top management is unprofessional and filled with political and economic interest groups.....

There is no point in praising Air India Aunties are known for their lavish onboard hospitality, when almost every flight is delayed or cancelled for sake of private operators..... Naturally much like AI, KSRTC is an unprofessional agency with a glorious past.

A seperate transport coroporation for Kochi, should not lead to such a situation.

To avoid such problems, the urban transport coroporations limit may be set to 60-80 km radius irrespective of district/UA boundaries, including Thrissur ,Alleppy, Thodupuzha. This will cater to all population who is doing updown to city daily, and areas where city in future will grow .

Not sure about situation in Bangalore & Chennai.

Thats not perfectly possible, as such an authority is proposed for Kochi U/A, not Central Kerala. Kochi U/A is around 40kms in radius starting from Paravur in North, Angamaly in North East, Aroor in South, Poothotta (Udayamperoor) in East.

Any further extension would jeopardize the case. Moreover unlike any other state, in Kerala public transport are common, if not as efficient. Almost to every nook and corner of the state, some form of transport connectivity exists. Even in remote areas of Wayanad or Iddukki, transport exists. So there is no issue of connectivity.

The case is very specific to today's Kochi. Ofcourse Kochi is growing, equally Kerala is also growing. So in future, such authorities may require for Thrissur or Alleppey. But covering other districts would make it an extended version of KSRTC, which is not the intention.

Well corporates are meant to provide a check and balance within an organization. In CIAL, the presence of corporates like Galfar or Emke or Synite etc donot make much unlike Siemens or GVK in Bangalore or other airports in the country.


Its not fair to equal CIAL to a tranportation company - both work in different aspects. Corporates in CIAL do not make much of a difference to passengers - the actual flights are operated by someone else - CIAL is only an agency that facilitates the same.

There has been enough hue and cry over the unfair User Fee levied at airports like Mumbai or Bangalore - they had started charging User Fee even before the new operator came up with the promised facilities.

On the other hand - the new company would be playing an active role in operating bus services itself. Corporates, in India, have never done a better job when it comes to handling public utility services - thats a truth. For a subject that is more of service than profit-making, its better not to include corporates - it has to be in the government sector. Corporates in our country have their fair share of corruption, and they even put our politicians to shame.

Its not fair to equal CIAL to a tranportation company - both work in different aspects. Corporates in CIAL do not make much of a difference to passengers - the actual flights are operated by someone else - CIAL is only an agency that facilitates the same.

There has been enough hue and cry over the unfair User Fee levied at airports like Mumbai or Bangalore - they had started charging User Fee even before the new operator came up with the promised facilities.

On the other hand - the new company would be playing an active role in operating bus services itself. Corporates, in India, have never done a better job when it comes to handling public utility services - thats a truth. For a subject that is more of service than profit-making, its better not to include corporates - it has to be in the government sector. Corporates in our country have their fair share of corruption, and they even put our politicians to shame.

True!!! I am not painting corporates with halo on their head and wings on both sides.... They too are little devils, but whatever be it for them customer is the king and services being accorded to the best, unlike govt agencies which troubles its customers always....

Well, I said about corporates as a means to check impotent politicians ruling the roost.... We require a professional agency that manages things professional. Whether politicians or anybody can do that in a professional manner, thats perfectly okay. The issue is that never it goes in that way. Any agency decided on politicial basis will soon turn into lobby appealing, self interest groups....

Perhaps, Kochi Metro model may also be a good option with a leading IAS official on board and having a technical committee with professionals and BOD with politicians. But hope it doesnot end up another KSRTC....

How worst is it?
It is worst such that not even single bus route connecting Vasai-Virar City to Mumbai city.


When you have an efficient railway system, asking for bus connectivity to every part of Mumbai is unfair.
Correct. Trains run every 3-7 minutes jam packed.
In peak hours, new people, who include your guests cannot get into Virar/Vasai Trains due to Mumbai's famous super dense crush crowd. what is other option? So buses are also required.


while focusing mainly on city routes, and short mofussil routes. No interdistrict routes, please.
If you call Aroor(which is also in Alleppy) to Angamaly is limit, then I agree connectivity between Aroor and Angamaly will be too good/excellent. connectivity from Edakochi / Aluva/Chittoor/Thripunithura/fort kochi is already excellent in day time till 8.30 PM.

However, A person who want to travel from Eramalloor(alleppy dist) to Vyttila (17km) will have worst or no connectivity. This WILL happen, Coz once a metropolitan transport corporation is formed,
-KSRTC will not be given any permits to operate inside City .
-Few permits will be given to operate services upto mofussil bus terminus may be VMH.
-KSRTC will use the few permits for REAL LONG DISTANCE services and PASSING THROUGH services which will give them more money, but will not use them for routes like Eramalloor/Cherthala - Ernakulkam.
-So short inter-district everyday travellers may have to depend on long distance buses passing through NH.

As you are saying "No interdistrict routes, please." What is the solution you propose for them (short inter-district passengers) ?

^^ In a state where motor vehicle industry shuts down for a 2.5% rise in the price of petrol due to a 2.5% decline in the value of the rupee, a private transportation company the size of KSRTC will not survive. Even the "private" CIALs "private golf course" was funded PARTLY by GoI dept of tourism.
Solving problems require a pragmatic vision, which seems to be in short supply in Kerala. There is nothing wrong with a public authority deciding routes and private operators operating them, other than the inefficency of any public authority defining routes, and the private authority trying to do everything that they are not supposed to be doing.

I do not support replacing autos. They are cheaper to own&operate, take less road space, and give employment to a lot of people.

Pollution is no longer a problem. The 2 stroke smokers are no longer there. All new ones are BS compliant by central law.

Of course, the MTA can have policy oversight over the autos, like enforcing GPS based metering.

^^ In a state where motor vehicle industry shuts down for a 2.5% rise in the price of petrol due to a 2.5% decline in the value of the rupee, a private transportation company the size of KSRTC will not survive. Even the "private" CIALs "private golf course" was funded PARTLY by GoI dept of tourism.
Solving problems require a pragmatic vision, which seems to be in short supply in Kerala. There is nothing wrong with a public authority deciding routes and private operators operating them, other than the inefficency of any public authority defining routes, and the private authority trying to do everything that they are not supposed to be doing.

Well private buses owned by private individuals makes a major issue as of now, due to their rash driving, rude behaviour od conductors, reports of presence of anti-socials as drivers and resistance to change to any new technology or even bus models.

A private agency would be better in this regard and New Delhi's experience can be thought of. Well, basically I am in opinion city transportation should be nationalized atleast in major cities like TRV, COK, CCJ, Thrissur, Kollam and Kannur.

But since KSRTC lacks fleet and any operational capability, hence it private agencies must be entrusted. May be not exactly corporates, but private agencies or cooperatives with professionals at helm and definitely it can bring radical change. Ofcourse we are not talking for pan-Kerala operations, within a city. Ofcourse the lead role should be govt owned city transport body..... The frequent rise in petrol will force more people to use Public transport which is a real incentive for private agencies and bodies to consider investing...... Moreover only a mid-sized private body can offset the lobbies of private buses, even to lift the erstwhile 650 limit of buses permits.... One lobby vs other lobby.....

In near future, once Petronet becomes operational, I am sure public transport would embrace CNG reducing the costs.

Private busses run by independent operators are both a boon and a curse.

The plus points: fast and fairly reliable services. KSRTC local services are unreliable

The minus points: rash driving, goonda/criminal drivers and conductors, refusing to upgrade facilities, inability to have integrated operations (an integrated Duabi type of Nol card or even a day pass are not possible as long as private busses run these routes), running mini busses instead of high capacity busses, and holding the city to ransom by strikes.

Of late the curse far outweighs the boon. Just one case in point: most of the private city busses are small chassis mini busses. Simply replacing them with a high capacity bus atleast in the Alwaye/Fort Kochi/Kakaknad/Thrikkakara trunk routes would double the capacity or alternatively reduce busses on the road by 50%. But with private bus permits this is not possible.

Bringing corporates into the picture will make things worse. The blatant hike in petrol prices when control passes from govt to corporate houses is one live example in front of us.

The solution is to have a mix of three options:
1. Dubai type of SPV with the Govt, KSRTC, local bodies and private individual subscrbers having 25% share each. This can be a public listed company to increase accountability and transparency. Thiru-Kochi and JNURM busses to be transferred to this body, and their numbers increased to make it the major player. Boat services and a city taxi service can also be launched by this agency. These services can be integrated with the metro, boats, and Indian Railway MEMU timings and innovative features such as monthly / daily pass, integrated card payment etc can be introduced
2. KSRTC (only to operate inter-district/outside UA busses, but will still play a major role as people traveling within the district/UA will also rely on these busses)
3. Independent private operators. Their numbers must be reduced from the present 650+Goshree to around 250 and the rest of the permits transferred to the SPV. (Mainly to ensure a parallel service to prevent monopoly). One easy way to do it is to amend the law to make the punishments for violations such as accidents, rash driving etc as cancellation of permits; rather than try to cancel it arbitrarily. Within no time 95% of the private busses will be without a permit.

Private busses run by independent operators are both a boon and a curse.

The plus points: fast and fairly reliable services. KSRTC local services are unreliable

The minus points: rash driving, goonda/criminal drivers and conductors, refusing to upgrade facilities, inability to have integrated operations (an integrated Duabi type of Nol card or even a day pass are not possible as long as private busses run these routes), running mini busses instead of high capacity busses, and holding the city to ransom by strikes.

Of late the curse far outweighs the boon. Just one case in point: most of the private city busses are small chassis mini busses. Simply replacing them with a high capacity bus atleast in the Alwaye/Fort Kochi/Kakaknad/Thrikkakara trunk routes would double the capacity or alternatively reduce busses on the road by 50%. But with private bus permits this is not possible.

Bringing corporates into the picture will make things worse. The blatant hike in petrol prices when control passes from govt to corporate houses is one live example in front of us.

The solution is to have a mix of three options:
1. Dubai type of SPV with the Govt, KSRTC, local bodies and private individual subscrbers having 25% share each. This can be a public listed company to increase accountability and transparency. Thiru-Kochi and JNURM busses to be transferred to this body, and their numbers increased to make it the major player. Boat services and a city taxi service can also be launched by this agency. These services can be integrated with the metro, boats, and Indian Railway MEMU timings and innovative features such as monthly / daily pass, integrated card payment etc can be introduced
2. KSRTC (only to operate inter-district/outside UA busses, but will still play a major role as people traveling within the district/UA will also rely on these busses)
3. Independent private operators. Their numbers must be reduced from the present 650+Goshree to around 250 and the rest of the permits transferred to the SPV. (Mainly to ensure a parallel service to prevent monopoly). One easy way to do it is to amend the law to make the punishments for violations such as accidents, rash driving etc as cancellation of permits; rather than try to cancel it arbitrarily. Within no time 95% of the private busses will be without a permit.

+1000:cheers::cheers:

Good Points. I think its the most sensible to be considered.....

By the way, RTA Dubai is not a company. Its an authority with full powers over entire Transportation and Road Networks in the Emirate of Dubai. The Dubai Govt took over the authority of Dubai Municipality over Transport and formed a new autonomous authority merging its own PWD Department into it. And RTA chief directly reports to Dubai Ruler, byepassing Dubai Ruler's Council and other bureaucratic procedures.

Ofcourse that model is not suitable for Kerala, as Dubai is a monarchical state and its Ruler has a great vision about Dubai. Hence he took over the transport department from Municipality after DM was too slow to respond public's demands..... Such actions can't be ever expected in our state, how effective our CM is going to be.

But I feel, this model you propose will work out well.... Being a company, automatically it will function effectively. The only thing to be noted is that, it should become another corporation meant for political appointments like we see in many regular govt companies.

Well, we are restricted to the Metro Transport Authority model as legislated. The SPV, if formed, would be under that authority. But I don't think anything other than direct politician control would be accepted by our leaders. So, any form of private participation could safely be ruled out, other than the private buses being issued permits like RTA doing now.

I don't see much value in the single ticket system here, because we sure can have conductors walking around, and people can buy tickets in the bus. Single ticket system is needed abroad because there are no conductors. Of course, electronic ticketing machines can support a single ticketing system. The SPV can issue ticketing machines to all the services, and settle the accounts based on them.

Trains running between Ernakulam Town and Ernakulam Junction could be affected for about a fortnight as the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) plans to temporarily shutdown power in the section while the demolition of the North railway overbridge (RoB) is underway.

“The 110 kV high voltage electric lines could be a threat to workers demolishing the RoB just 1 to 1.5 metres away and so we have applied to the Trivandrum Railway division for a temporary power block to stop electricity flow between Town and Junction stations,” said DMRC project director, Mr P. Sreeram.
DMRC is believed to have received, in principle, approval from the Southern Railways to shutdown power in the area.

The RoB span over the railway tracks has so far been left untouched although demolition of one of the approach bays is over and work on bringing down the other is half done.

“We will complete the rest of the work and then remove the span over the tracks. The preparatory work will take at least three days and the entire rail span will be removed within 15 days with the power block in place,” a Metro officer said, elaborating it would take about a month to fully demolish the RoB.

A railway official said trains would have to run on diesel along the stretch during the power shutdown and this could delay services. “We will also be regulating goods trains running in the section,” he added

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/kochi/metro-power-outage-may-hit-train-service-268

Well, we are restricted to the Metro Transport Authority model as legislated. The SPV, if formed, would be under that authority. But I don't think anything other than direct politician control would be accepted by our leaders. So, any form of private participation could safely be ruled out, other than the private buses being issued permits like RTA doing now.

I don't see much value in the single ticket system here, because we sure can have conductors walking around, and people can buy tickets in the bus. Single ticket system is needed abroad because there are no conductors. Of course, electronic ticketing machines can support a single ticketing system. The SPV can issue ticketing machines to all the services, and settle the accounts based on them.

Well, Single Ticketing model is tried out in Bangalore in form of day/monthly passes for all the buses. Ofcourse in Blore, there is only BMTC buses..... I think, we should also consider multiple entry day/monthly passes system so that more people will switch to monthly system.

Ofcourse in Dubai, Nol Cards can be used for multiple transport models- Metro, Buses, Ferries etc. Now plan is there to make it part of Taxis allowing a cashless transaction.

I think, such a model is worth considering for Kochi, where Autos fleece passengers. An e-wallet will force Auto drivers to switch to exact meter fares.... In Buses also, this is a problem, as many people donot have change of Rs 1 or 2... Thank god, the new fare stage has done away with 50 paise system, which was major trouble eariler..... An e-wallet would modernize the conductor from paper ticket to machine which can scan e-wallet card and deduct money accordingly.

The authority would have some money which they charge initially for issuance of card, which will be helpful. Integrating the card with some loyalty points scheme, say for every 10 Rs spend, you can earn 1 point and later could be redeemed for your journey or purchases, etc will lure more people to use public transport.

Happy News.... 13 Players are racing for Chennai-Bangalore-Coimbatore-Kochi-Trivandrum HSR pre-feasibility.....:cheers:


As many as 13 foreign firms are in the race to conduct a pre-feasibility study of the 869 km long Chennai-Kochi-Thiruvananthapuram high speed rail corridor. Japan Railway Technical Service, Korea Rail Network Authority, TUC Rail and five consortiums from Spain are among the 13 bidders for the Chennai-Bangalore-Coimbatore-Kochi-Thiruvananthapuram high speed rail corridor.

"One of these global consortiums would be awarded the contract for conducting the study as the evaluation process is currently underway," Railway Ministry sources said, adding that the decision would be taken by next month. Railways' proposal to set up high speed rail authority to run trains at 300 km per hour speed on certain selected routes has generated a lot of interest among global players. A delegation from Shinkansen, Japan's high speed railway system, is meeting Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi next week. Chennai-Thiruvananthapuram route is one of the six corridors that have been selected by Railways for conducting pre-feasibility studies for running the high speed train. Till now Railways have undertaken pre-feasibility study for three routes

http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/s-rail-corridor-13-players-vying-for-prefeasibility-study/889773.html

I am slightly confused.... Kerala Govt is talking for 1st phase of Cochin-Trivandrum line as part of Kerala HSR and then Ommen Chandy talked to extending Chennai-Kochi Indian Railways HSR to Trivandrum.....

Are we constructing two HSRs in same stretch?:ohno::ohno: I don't think so, as its mere waste of money.... Well, if its IR sponsored version coming, I feel, its a loss to Kollam and Kottayam as Kerala HSR envisioned 4 stations in Phase 1 connecting Kochi-Trivandrum at Trivandrum, Kollam, Kottayam and Kochi.

I am least hopeful that IR will ever consider halts at Kottayam and Koillam, as it may fuel for similar demands in TN and Karnataka.....

^^
Newspapers these days are notorious for getting facts mixed up. The person who wrote the report probably has no idea that there are two separate projects doing the rounds.

^^
Newspapers these days are notorious for getting facts mixed up. The person who wrote the report probably has no idea that there are two separate projects doing the rounds.

Well, thats not the case, I believe so. This is because Chennai-Bangalore-Coimbatore-Cochin was the stretch which IR proposed right from 2006 and eariler they issued notification was issued

http://www.indianrailways.gov.in/railwayboard/uploads/tenders/pdf/PLANNING/NIT_180711.pdf

In Oct 30th, based on pressure of Kerala Govt, the pre-feasibility study of Chennai-Ernakulam line was further extended to Trivandrum, to make in such a way, Chennai-Bangalore-Coimbatore-Ernakulam-Trivandrum. There is an equal pressure from Karnataka to include Mysore and TN for including either Erode or Salem.

So as of today, the IR Corridor in Kerala, starts from Palakkad, proceed to Thrissur, reach at Kochi/Ernakulam, then further proceed to Trivandrum via Kottayam and Kollam.....

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/logistics/article2582767.ece

Its not a project that passes thro' Southern TN byepassing Kochi..... Thats why OC claimed around 50,000 Crore Rs was saved, as now Kerala HSR donot need to focus on Trivandrum-Kochi sector.

-----------------

But the issue here is, if IR is making the Kochi-Trivandrum sector of HSR, Kerala will lose 3 stations which could have done in Kerala HSR Limited.... Kollam and Kottayam is a sure loss, as any attempt to include would make Karnataka and TN to pressurize equal two places in their states....

Since the line passes thro' Thrissur, there could be chance Thrissur losing also, as Kerala HSR Limited may required to concentrate on Thrissur-Mangalore stretch.

Anyway, lets wait for revised notification of Pre-feasible study.....

^^To be frank, can I ask u a doubt? What is HSR?

^^To be frank, can I ask u a doubt? What is HSR?

Hahahah:lol: Ramayanam full kettettu Ramanum, Sitaum ara ennu choodikkunathupole unde......

HSR means High Speed Rail, which means a specially designed train that runs independent rail track at a speed above 200 KM/Hr. In Japan, its known as Bullet Train.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-speed_rail_in_India

Indian Railways have proposed 6 HSR corridors in India thro' a special authority- HSR Authority of India. One corridor originally proposed was Chennai-Bangalore-Coimbatore-Kochi, now extended to Trivandrum.

Kerala was proposing its own HSR from Trivandrum to Mangalore.....

:bow:Hahahah:lol: Ramayanam full kettettu Ramanum, Sitaum ara ennu choodikkunathupole unde......

HSR means High Speed Rail, which means a specially designed train that runs independent rail track at a speed above 200 KM/Hr. In Japan, its known as Bullet Train.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-speed_rail_in_India

Indian Railways have proposed 6 HSR corridors in India thro' a special authority- HSR Authority of India. One corridor originally proposed was Chennai-Bangalore-Coimbatore-Kochi, now extended to Trivandrum.

Kerala was proposing its own HSR from Trivandrum to Mangalore.....

ooh thettippoyi .kshamikkanee:bow::nuts:

Legal hurdles on Kochi Metros path

KOCHI: The Kochi Metro project that has gained much momentum is entangled in legal hurdles.

Five petitions are already before the Kerala High court challenging the implementation of the Kochi Metro Rail. The pleas are mainly against land acquisition and rail alignment. The Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) has always taken the stand that all the issues could be solved in direct talks.

“While implementing a big project like Metro rail, people in and around the city are likely to have problems and grievances. But this should not be a reason for delaying the implementation of the projects. KMRL is willing to examine the grievances with an open mind, subject to feasibility and without sacrificing the public interest involved in the project,” counsel for KMRL Jaju Babu told ‘Express’.

Seematti Textiles has moved the court alleging foul play in the land acquisition process for the project. The owner of Seematti Textiles Beena Kannan sought a directive from the court to hear the concerns of traders before implementing the proposed Metro rail project of Kochi.

She has challenged the land acquisition procedure of district administration, alignment and the proposed station. She alleged that the station that was proposed to come near Seematti has been shifted to another� location that was close to another textile shop on M G road. “A good number of business men from Tamil Nadu has migrated� to Kochi and they have good contacts with officials in the Central Government,” she said. Beena Kannan alleged that it was under the influence of some businessmen that the station has been changed. “Metro rail in Kochi is only in a formative stage and it still remains as a dream project. So, freezing the ongoing construction in private lands of the investor on the ground of� Metro Rail is not fair,” she said in her petition. “Recently, the district collector had granted permits to many land owners to construct buildings on the side of the proposed Metro Rail route and constructions were going smoothly,” she pointed out.

However, a KMRL official denied the allegation raised by Beena Kannan. “The state government had issued notification to acquire land not with any dubious intention. The government is the authority to decide whether such project is required or not. The said proposal is for the Metro rail project that will ease the traffic congestion in the city,” the KMRL official said.

Meanwhile, advocate Anu Stephen has approached the court and submitted that the government and the district administration has not adhered to the recommendations made by the expert’s committee, but instead rushed for implementing the project. The committee had suggested� construction of overbridges, flyovers, roads, and introduction of suburban rail services.

Another petitioner, Raphel of Vyttila, sought a directive to restrain the state from spending money without prior approval of the Centre and the local authorities in Kochi. He alleged that the state had usurped the powers vested with the GCDA by virtue of the Town Planning Act.

A petitioner, C A Unnikrishnan of Ponekkara, alleged that the Metro Rail would not solve the traffic problems in Kochi. The alignment was fixed with oblique motive for blocking the business and city life, he alleged.

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/legal-hurdles-on-kochi-metros-path/200239-60-122.html

Beena Kannan's petition is a result of business rivalry between Sheemati and Chennai Silks. But I wonder where is land to build a station near Chennai Silks? Anyhow this would not affect the overall project.

Adv Anu Stephen's petition is more on lines with the petition filed earlier when the North ROB was pulled down. It is a case of trying to lock the barn after the horse has bolted. The suit should have been filed much earlier, asking the authorities to complete Pulleppady-Thammanam Road / Pachalam ROB / Saleem Rajan ROB before starting work on North ROB. No point in raking up this issue now.

Raphel's petition does not have much merit.

CA Unnikrishnan's petition again does not have merit. The metro would definitely improve public transportation in Kochi, and the biggest loosers would be the "red killers". However his contention of metro works blocking city life would depend on how the metro authorities plan to take up the works.

Legal hurdles on Kochi Metros path

Beena Kannan's petition is a result of business rivalry between Sheemati and Chennai Silks. But I wonder where is land to build a station near Chennai Silks? Anyhow this would not affect the overall project.



Well, I too donot understand Beena Kannan's Petition much..... Well whether the station comes in front of Seematti or Chennai Silks, has nothing much, unless metro station directly have an exit gate to Chennai Silks.....

Well, I believe they might be considering taking over the land and bldgs located after Chennai Silks, which has been in ruins for pretty long time. Earlier it might be planned in the open grounds opposite Seematti, where now some commercial complex is coming up.

I feel, people who are brand loyal to Seematti will go there, where the metro station is located in front of Chennai Silks or Seematti.... Today Seematti and Chennai Silks stand opposite to each other. But I always see people flocking more to Seematti than latter.... Thats the brand value. I feel Beena Kannan should have no worry for that and must know well that her Brand is more popular than any Tamil Merchants.....

Going with her past records and how she effectively kept the Metro rail in freezer for pretty long time, I still believe it might be getting a legal stay from actual land acquisitions going to happen anytime onwards from next month onwards..... Her new bldg is not ready and at this moment demolishing the Seematti's frontage will cause havoc.

Legal hurdles on Kochi Metros path



Beena Kannan's petition is a result of business rivalry between Sheemati and Chennai Silks. But I wonder where is land to build a station near Chennai Silks? Anyhow this would not affect the overall project.

Adv Anu Stephen's petition is more on lines with the petition filed earlier when the North ROB was pulled down. It is a case of trying to lock the barn after the horse has bolted. The suit should have been filed much earlier, asking the authorities to complete Pulleppady-Thammanam Road / Pachalam ROB / Saleem Rajan ROB before starting work on North ROB. No point in raking up this issue now.

Raphel's petition does not have much merit.

CA Unnikrishnan's petition again does not have merit. The metro would definitely improve public transportation in Kochi, and the biggest loosers would be the "red killers". However his contention of metro works blocking city life would depend on how the metro authorities plan to take up the works.

all these petition will be buried by Highcourt once central govt Okay's it....

^^Hopefully! Didn't we have a judge who used to give out stays for everything? I sure hope he or someone like him isn't around these days.

If we take an aerial map of Kochi, we will find a good number of waterways. Almost all places in the city are connected by waterways and to make good use of them, the Kochi Corporation will soon set up a public limited company. The officials concerned have already prepared the ‘articles of association’ and other details of the company which are expected to be presented at the corporation council soon for approval.

“An integrated state-of-the-art water transport system will be one of the most significant services for Kochi which has a unique topography. The corporation got the confidence to set up a company based on the study report by the Cities Development Initiative of Asia (CDIA). What we moot is a total package to improve water transport system,” Mayor Tony Chammany said.

The corporation, in its annual budget, had proposed the idea of floating a company on the lines of CIAL. Regarding the proposed company, corporation secretary Ajit Patil said the ‘articles of association’ and structure had been already prepared. Once the council gives its nod, the proposal will be submitted to the state government for its approval.

“The CDIA study says that the water transport system in Kochi can be developed into a profitable venture and this is the foundation of our vision to set up the company. The proposed company will be a public limited one similar to the CIAL. The corporation will be the promoter and the majority stakeholder,” Patil said. He said the Mayor and other political executives of the corporation would be the ex-officio board directors of the company

“The company will have the mandate to diversify into infrastructure and will serve as a professional body to take up special projects for Kochi Corporation and the state government,” he said.

The company will be managed by experienced professionals who will be appointed through proper procedures.

“The corporation will have a 26 per cent stake in the company and the rest will be held by institutional investors and the public. We hope that the company will be ready for investment at the time of the 'Emerging Kerala' event that will be held next year,” he added.

Once it is floated, the company will implement major components that are included in the detailed project report prepared by KITCO for the betterment of water transport system of the city. “The DPR is expected to be completed within three months with a participative approach. The scope of work has been finalised and the work order will be issued shortly,” Patil added.
The major components that will be included in the DPR are purchase of new boats, construction of new boat jetties, renovation of existing ones and exploration of new waterways.

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/corporation-on-the-idea-of-floating-a-firm/200562-60-122.html

All Kochi buses under single agency sought
Private buses and KSRTC city/low-floor buses operating in Kochi should be brought under a single government agency like an Urban Metropolitan Authority, the managing trustee of Centre for Consumer Education, Dijo Kappan, has demanded.

Kochi needs such an authority since the greater Kochi area has a population of over 10 lakh people, and a huge floating population. Numerous study reports have suggested the need for such an authority, which would also coordinate the operation of passenger boats, metro rail etc. This would ultimately provide commuters with a choice of commuting modes.

The Indore and Chennai models can be replicated in Kochi by linking railway stations and bus stands with residential areas. This would help commuters travel at reasonable fares, thus reducing the number of private vehicles on roads.

Round-the-clock buses

Buses should be made available round the clock in Kochi since projects like the Smart City would increase the demand for comfortable public transport. The public's positive response to the Vytilla mobility hub and the metro rail show that commuters want a convenient and comfortable mode of travel, Mr. Kappan said.

Bus workers' trade unions which create hurdles on the effective use of public transport should be reined in. A major problem facing bus commuters and motorists alike is the reckless way in which private buses ply, Mr. Kappan said.

The police should ensure that they abide by traffic rules. They should also root out unscrupulous bus operators who adopt illegal practices and dangerous driving to increase the daily collection. Just like in Indore, reckless driving would be a thing of the past once all buses are brought under the authority's control. The operators would also be able to save on fuel and wear and tear. Accidents too would fall.

Steps should also be taken so that commuters can travel to major points in the city by taking a single bus. Nowadays, they have to take two or more buses to reach many places. This means additional expense and the hassles associated with crossing congested roads and using ill-maintained and encroached-upon footpaths, Mr Kappan said.

The Hindu (http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article2614021.ece)

http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/4851/atsww.jpg

The District Administration is in final process to install GPS enabled Automated Transport System in all major public transport systems catering tourists like Taxis, Autos etc. Under ATS, the passengers who are not proficient with the city as well as first timers, can know the city maps, route directions, landmarks, major offices, banks, ATMS, restaurants etc. The District administration will install sensors and traffic surveillance cameras across all major roads and link it to Central Command Unit at Vytilla Mobility Hub.

Passengers in Taxis, Autos etc can access the latest traffic flows in major roads and ATS can alert drivers to divert to side roads etc in view of traffic congestion in the planned route. In such a circumstance the passengers can be assured of correct and possible best routes.

The sensors and traffic assessment technology is done with help of a US based company and the Collector is in last phase of discussions. As phase one, the project will be tested on taxis and autos plying in Airport and Railway Station. Once found success, it shall be extended to all the taxis in the city and nearby suburbs.

In a novel way to woo patients from the outskirts of the city and promote its goodwill which was at stake following several internal issues, the Cooperative Medical College (CMC), Kochi, will soon start plying a point-to-point bus service. The CMC authorities have readily agreed to the offer by union minister of state for food and civil supplies K V Thomas to provide two buses to the medical college for conducting circular services so as to give the patients an easy access to the medical college.

It was at a meeting convened by chief minister Oommen Chandy in Thiruvananthapuram that Thomas offered to provide two buses to the CMC.'' Transportation has been a major hurdle for the patients. It is to address the issue that the union minister offered two buses,'' said Dr Mohan Sam, medical director, CMC.'' We will be provided with sanctions from all the government departments as well. We will have to run the buses on our own,'' he said.

The buses which are expected to be delivered within a couple of months will ply as a circular service. "The government has asked us to prepare the route of these two buses. Once we come up with the proposal of the route, the motor vehicles department is expected to give its nod for it without any delay,'' Mohan Sam said.

The authorities plan to run the buses as a circular service touching Kangarappady, Vallathol junction, HMT, Cochin Bank, Choondy and Pookkattupady areas. There are also plans to start KSRTC bus services to the CMC from places like Pookkattupady, Kothamangalam, Perumbavoor, Muvattupuzha , Ernakulam Fort Kochi and Mattanchery. The CMC authorities have been asked to prepare a list of areas to be connected to the medical college through the bus service and the timings of the services.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/Now-CMC-to-run-bus-service/articleshow/10681394.cms

Yesterday I saw a bus plying between Aluva - Chittoor Fery via Kaloor, SRM Road. Is it a new route?

Yesterday I saw a bus plying between Aluva - Chittoor Fery via Kaloor, SRM Road. Is it a new route?

Was that a private bus or a KSRTC? I haven't heard of such a route before - if its a Private, then it cannot be a new route.

Was that a private bus or a KSRTC? I haven't heard of such a route before - if its a Private, then it cannot be a new route.

Can't that be a temp route in lieu of North ROB demolition?

Can't that be a temp route in lieu of North ROB demolition?

AFAIK, no modifications we brought to bus routes. Temp permits were not issued either.

Even if its a temp route, what would have been the old route? Buses cannot take a right at Kacheripady - or any other place - to head towards Chittoor Ferry. So, if the route is Aluva-Chittoor Ferry, then this could be an old route itself.

Was that a private bus or a KSRTC? I haven't heard of such a route before - if its a Private, then it cannot be a new route.

Its a private red bus and its destination boards clearly indicate via Kaloor, SRM Road, Chittoor.

http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/97/transauthority.jpg

Mayor to press for Kochi Metropolitan Transport Authority- KMTA

Mayor said to Kochi Corporation Council meeting that he will strongly press for KMTA with VMH as focal point.

Mayor also initimate that a group of Kochi Councillors will visit Delhi from Dec 20th to discuss about Suburban Railway for Kochi and with JNNURM officials for various projects. The visiting Railway team to discuss upgradation of Kalamassery Station, will be also visiting Willingdon Harbour Terminus, Edappally Station and Old Railway station, to plan for starting a dedicated Commuter Rail services linking the key points like these.

Come April and you need not hire a boat to take a cruise in the backwaters of Kochi.

The Goshree Island Development Authority (GIDA) is all set to start a circular boat service connecting different islands under its jurisdiction. The GIDA has invited tender for purchasing a double-decker boat for the service. “The lower deck of the boat will be for ordinary passengers travelling to the islands while the upper deck will be an air-conditioned cabin meant for tourists who want to cruise in the backwaters. There will be a fixed charge for the upper deck while charges in the lower deck will be as per the fare stage,” District Collector P I Sheikh Pareeth said.

“The boat will be procured by the GIDA at a cost of Rs 2.5 crore while it will be operated and maintained by a private operator on a five-year contract,” said the District Collector.

He said four boat jetties - Ernakulam, Mattanchery, Fort Kochi and Vypeen - would be modified and renovated as part of the development projects being implemented in Goshree islands. The areas under GIDA include Elamkunnappuzha, Njarakkal, Nayarambalam, Edavanakkad, Kuzhuppilly, Pallippuram, Kadamakkudy panchayat, Mulavukadu panchayat, Fort Vypeen, Gundu Island and Thanthonnithuruthu.

“The renovation of jetties includes construction of approach jetties, toilets, passengers' waiting area and tile-paved walkway. Projects worth Rs 300 crore, including drinking water, ferry services and housing infrastructure, are being implemented in these places,” he said. A Goshree complex, which will houses a boat jetty, and a GIDA office, will also be constructed in 20 cents of land spending Rs 7 crore near the Goshree Junction - Chathiath Road. The Collector said that the boat services are expected to commence by April next year.

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/a-cruise-boat-for-kochi/203068-60-122.html

Come April and you need not hire a boat to take a cruise in the backwaters of Kochi.


Even otherwise, there was no need to "hire" a boat as such. One could just purchase a ticket and get into those boats running along the backwaters. Otherwise, KSINC has this beautiful cruise "Sagara Rani" which makes a trip to the sea for sunset - it leaves at 17:30 and comes back at 19:30 - Rs. 250 per head. For this price, KSINC also provides light refreshment on board and they have some live entertainment programs as well.

You can see some pics of the Sagara Rani here (http://www.flickr.com/photos/binaiks/sets/72157625388836533/). Some more pics in this (http://www.flickr.com/photos/binaiks/sets/72157626088635635/) album as well.

Sadly, this service is not being advertised - they just get word-of-mouth publicity.

^^

Nice pics there Binai! Why wasn't these posted here? :)

http://epaper.mathrubhumi.com/epaperimages/18112011/18112011-md-ek-2/32513531.JPG

High profile Railway Team headed by Union Minister K.V Thomas along with Senior officials of Rail Ministry and Southern Railways will visit various railway stations across the city for studying possible railway developments.

The team will visit Harbour Terminus and probing for starting a rail museum in the heritage station. The team will visit Netoor for identifying land for Nettoor railway crossing and developments of the station. Further the team will visit Tripunithara Railway station to discuss possible developments of the terminal. The team will also inspect Old Railway station behind High Court for starting Suburban trains. The team will also visit Edapally and Kalamassery stations. In evening, a meeting with MLAs, Ministers, officials, various groups etc have been arranged at Kalamassery Municipal office.

http://epaper.mathrubhumi.com/epaperimages/19112011/19112011-md-ek-1/2917312.JPG

The Kerala Govt decided to hand over full responsibility of Kochi Metro to E.Sreedharan. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, which works as consultant and liaison agency for Kochi Metro in Delhi, would be likey made as executing agency for project.:banana:

E.Sreedharan recently expressed his desire to join Kochi Metro. The Govt hasn't finalized E.Sreedharan's appointment, however sources said that the final decision would be taken soon. Kerala CM Ommen Chandy clarified that the state urgently requires the services of E.Sreedharan

E.Sreedharan has expressed to retire from Delhi Metro this year end and expected to be back in Kochi soon. Both Central Govt and State Govt is interested to have E.Sreedharan in Kochi Metro. However the Govt needs to re-clarify the position of Kochi Metro Rail Limited, if DMRC is given works of Metro Rail construction. The clarity on KMRL would be taken soon.

A hoard trouble

http://expressbuzz.com/Images/article/2011/11/19/1-AHO.jpg

KOCHI: Hoardings and flex boards on bus stands and footpaths have become a menace for the passengers and pedestrians in the city. Almost all political parties, NGOs and even the corporation have erected hoardings and flexes on sideways without having any concern for the passengers and the pedestrians. The hoardings and flex boards erected at the Kaloor bus stand is one such instance that is causing hardship to all. Most of the passengers waiting for the bus towards Aluva can hardly see the boards of approaching buses. The hoardings that are stacked on the sidewalk in Kaloor pose a threat as the passengers have no other way but to step on to the road. This could lead to accidents as buses come rushing, ex-servicemen Peter who regularly travels from Kaloor to Aluva said.

“The authorities must remove the flex boards immediately as they are causing trouble to passengers,” he said.When City Express enquired about the problems being faced by passengers to a policemen on duty at the Kaloor bus stand, he said the flex boards were erected after paying proper tax to the corporation. “Though we know that the boards are posing trouble to passengers, we are helpless,” traffic police officer Binu K Balan said.

The flexes and hoardings at Kaloor are just one example. All across the city, one could come across such flexes and hoardings that pose a threat to pedestrians and passengers. And in some places, boards and flexes are nailed on trees, which has been banned.

Though complaints were registered with the corporation, the authorities have turned a blind eye. The police are also helpless as they say that it is for the corporation to take the initiative to remove the hoardings and flexes.http://expressbuzz.com/cities/kochi/a-hoard-trouble/334795.html

http://epaper.mathrubhumi.com/epaperimages/19112011/19112011-md-ek-2/21128171.JPG


The Old Railway Station of Ernakulam, which is in state of ruins, got a fresh lease of life, after High level Railway team visited the station along with Union Minister K.V Thomas. The Southern Railway Divisional Railway Manager Agarwal said that the station would be renovated keeping its grand heritage and legacy intact . The station would be redesigned as Terminus Central Station.

Eariler the proposal was to start a Memu Service, however the railway officials said it would be difficult to do so technically. However the team assured the [B]MEMU service will be launched within 3 months from Ernakulam South Railway station.

The first Memu will run on Ernakulam-Kottayam-Kayakulam route. The Palakkad Memu Shed will be used for any repairs/maintenance. :banana::banana:

The Cochin Harbour Terminus would be reactivated, once the Vikrant-Venduruthy rail-Bridge gets completed. The railways would renovate Harbous terminus to allow more cargo facilities bound to Vallarpadam.

The Railways also checked option of developing Nettoor for Passenger cum Cargo station there. The Maradu Muncipality assured all support for developing full fledged station there.

The Railways also inspected Tripunithara Station. Once the Railway Board approves, the station would be uplifted to a major station with more platforms, overhead shed, new Railway station road etc. The Tripunithara Muncipality agreed to support LA for increasing width of the station.

The Railways also said that they will check the option of uplifting Edapally Railway Station as a major or intermediate one as a secondary station to Ernakulam main stations. There will be ticketing counters opened soon at Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences soon.

The team finally discussed on development of Kalamassery station. The Minister said that a Steel Yard must be commissioned in the station in view that Kalamasserry is emerging as one of the biggest Industrial hubs of South India. 10 Acres of adjacent land belonging to Naval Armory will be required and the Minister has assured he will take the responsibility to discuss with Defense Minister.

The Railways also discussed several issues which Passengers faces in Ernakulam and said it will address the maximum.

The Railways also said that they will check the option of uplifting Edapally Railway Station as a major or intermediate one as a secondary station to Ernakulam main stations. There will be ticketing counters opened soon at Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences soon.


In fact, all the trains coming to Ernakulam should be given a Halt at Aluva and Edappally - these stations can take off a considerable rush from North/South Stations. Passengers who need to go to Palarivattam/Kaloor area can access those places from Edappally - and there is a fairly decent bus service from Ponekkara as well.

Once the new ROB at Edappally opens, they should allow some town buses to terminate at Edappally Station, so that there is connection for passengers who alight here.

Stoppage at Edappally station would also help people heading to AIMS, and also to places like Cheranellore/Varapuzha.

The big flaw here is that the platforms of Edappally station are on the loop line - so every train has to slow down, cross-over and then come to a halt. Had there been platforms on the main line, the time loss due to the halt would have been lower. But still, by giving halts here, the railways can perhaps reduce the duration of halt at ERN/ERS.

http://epaper.manoramaonline.com/MMDaily/Kochi/2011/11/19/F/MMDaily_Kochi_2011_11_19_F_LO_003/26_56_1932_950.jpg

Same News

Full Steel Yard would be constructed in Kalamassery Station

http://epaper.mathrubhumi.com/epaperimages/19112011/19112011-md-ek-9/14953251.JPG

Palakkad-Kochi MEMU to start soon. This being declared in last year's budget, the railways will be racing to start the service before next budget. As per plan, the Coimbatore-Palakkad-Shornour MEMU would be extended to Kochi initially. Once the new rakes are available, direct Palakkad-Kochi MEMU would be commissioned.

Palakkad-Kochi MEMU to start soon. This being declared in last year's budget, the railways will be racing to start the service before next budget. As per plan, the Coimbatore-Palakkad-Shornour MEMU would be extended to Kochi initially. Once the new rakes are available, direct Palakkad-Kochi MEMU would be commissioned.

PGT-ERS MEMU was NOT declared in last year's budget. The GM has announced it a couple of days back during his inspection visit. It is basically a service to shift MEMUs for maintenance. Since the MEMU shed at QLN is not yet ready, the MEMUs that would work ERS-QLN (ALLP/KTYM) would be based at PGT for now.

To begin with, they can just convert the current ERS-SRR Passenger to a MEMU rake!

The much-awaited Mainline Electrical Multiple Units (MEMU) services will be introduced in the Thiruvananthapuram division within three months, Union Minister of State for Food and Civil Supplies K V Thomas has said.

“I will discuss with the Union Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi regarding the MEMU service,” he said after visiting the railway stations in the district on Friday. He said it was not possible to convert the Ernakulam Terminus Station into a suburban passenger service as MEMUs cannot be run from this station.

However, K V Thomas said that this station would be converted into a hub for long distance trains.

Thiruvananthapuram Divisional Railway Manager Rajesh Agarwal said, “Kochi has a huge amount of potential for passenger traffic and development.
The railways will strive to renew the heritage glory of the old railway stations and make it useful for public service.” Agarwal said that the demand for a footover bridge or a pathway for the Tripunithura residents would be sanctioned at the earliest. Footboards, platform roofings and extensive roadways will be considered. The need for a level crossing at the Nettoor railway station will be further studied and better facilities will be provided, he said.

Thomas also said that the Edappally railway station would soon earn the status of a ‘satellite’ station, which would see extensive platforms. Reservation and booking counters will be opened at the Amritha Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS), he added. He said the Kalamassery railway station has the potential to develop into a railway hub if the Naval Armament Depot hand overs 10 acres of land near the railway station. “If it so happens , it will be possible to station 42 wagons instead of the 14 wagons, which are presently stationed at Kalamassery.”

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/railway-division-to-get-memu-services-soon/203750-60-123.html

Well, once again scenario changed. The much awaited Old Railway Station will turn itself back as Major Railway station as Ernakulam Central or Terminus, recreating the old days when trains from Calcutta, Mumbai, Madras etc used to stop and dignitaries step out to the historical station.

Typical to most of IR stations, which is never planned or catered considered potential or future traffic, this station may run out into another South or North, if proper planning or redesign is not done.

First of all, with trains going to start in full swing, the very purpose of Mangalavanam is going to end soon and soon it might get converted into another big slum, akin to any railway area. The authorities must take a note of this and take proper measures to develop Mangalavanam into a beatiful City Park or Bird Park, rather leaving it to be another Manapattyparambu.

Most of the roads leading to the Ernakulam Central is currently narrow and once traffic builds up, its going to be another hell in making much like North. Unless planners understand this and work for achieving better wide roads and plenty parking area, the scenairo is going for much bleak.

The Mamangalam-Goshree road is supposed to travel near to the station, which must be started at now, to ensure the new station gets a 4 lane road in the beginning itself. The Panchalam road also must be expanded into four lane even at cost of few Land acqusitions, considering the fact it may turn into a big slum, if left open today.

A Goshree Bus Terminus must be developed near to the station, so that it caters Goshree users and others.

Secondly, the old Railway Station was designed to cater just 2 trains in a week.... Railways announced a renovation, but hope it doesn't turn into another lifeless steel panel laid structure as there is a big history attached here.

Finally the name, Ernakulam seems to too confusing to all, as most of people outside Kerala knows the place as Kochi/Cochin. Instead of creating another confusing name, the terminal can be named after Maharaja Rama Varma, whose vision fuelled this station and Cochin's first rail line. It would be much easiler like Mumbai's VJT.... We expect the name could be Kochi Maharaja Rama Varma Terminus or Kochi MRV Terminus.

“He said it was not possible to convert the Ernakulam Terminus Station into a suburban passenger service as MEMUs cannot be run from this station.


Agree with Alleppey/Kottayam side. But why not Thrissur?

Agree with Alleppey/Kottayam side. But why not Thrissur?

Rule says that MEMU services should start from Junctions. That's why we have Kollam, Ernakulam, Palakkad services :)

Rule says that MEMU services should start from Junctions. That's why we have Kollam, Ernakulam, Palakkad services :)

Joke ano atho serious ayi paranjathano dear Malayali:)? Oru confusion. As Chennai central, Tambaram, Mumbai VT etc etc...are not junctions.

http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/8377/kmta.jpg

Cochin Corporation will seek for Central Govt's approval to list Kochi among one of the cities having Unified Transport Authority. The Mayor, Opposition Leader, Transport Chairperson etc will meet Union Urban Affairs Minister Kamal Nath to form Kochi Metropolitan Transport Authority based in Vytila Mobility Hub.

The Kochi team will visit DMRC HQ and will meet E.Sreedharan to discuss about Kochi Metro and allied projects.

Further the team will close study Jindal's Waste to Energy Initiative in Delhi for replicating the same in Kochi

Joke ano atho serious ayi paranjathano dear Malayali:)? Oru confusion. As Chennai central, Tambaram, Mumbai VT etc etc...are not junctions.

Well, I feel starting MEMU in South is more fair than Marine Drive one. First of all, in today's context its too difficult to develop South to much larger, much modern station catering Long distance trains. Ofcourse we don't have much choices, but given with option of 2 new station, this problem can be solved.

The Terminus is sitting in a much larger space, in a pristine calm place and its possible to allow much larger facility to cater one of South India's fastest growing Metropolis. The station, right from beginning can be developed into a 6 or 8 platform facility with increased other facilities. A Bus terminus and potential 3rd phase of Metro route touching near to this station will be a major boon Trains bound to Northern directions.

In near future, Vytilla Railway Station can be developed and this will take off much load of South Railway station. In a long run South Railway station can cater more of Inter-city and MEMU services along with North Railway station, while Terminus and Vytilla catering more of Long distance trains.

But railways has to plan well.....

CHTS can be the best MEMU hub, if not of long distance trains, after electrification of the route. Most of the platform is roofed and trains in all directions (Alleppey, Kottayam & Thrissur) can start from here as there is no problem of engine change for MEMU at Junction station. It can cater service to West Kochi also.

CHTS can be the best MEMU hub, if not of long distance trains, after electrification of the route. Most of the platform is roofed and trains in all directions (Alleppey, Kottayam & Thrissur) can start from here as there is no problem of engine change for MEMU at Junction station. It can cater service to West Kochi also.

Chances are less, as CPT is planning the area to be part of FTWZ and more container stations might come up there. Railways are looking up option for increasing freight revenue. One half of the station might be redeveloped into freight station and there are proposals to convert the station buliding into Heritage Rail Museum. Well its a good idea. Lets wait and see whether Railways redevelop it as a MEMU Station.

Chances are less, as CPT is planning the area to be part of FTWZ and more container stations might come up there. Railways are looking up option for increasing freight revenue. One half of the station might be redeveloped into freight station and there are proposals to convert the station buliding into Heritage Rail Museum. Well its a good idea. Lets wait and see whether Railways redevelop it as a MEMU Station.

Cochin Port Trust has more area to use for container station than the area available in CHTS. Before the dredger accident on Venduruthy bridge also CPT had vast area to serve the freight stations and they have direct lines to Port too. Long distance trains was stopped from CHTS before 2004 for want of electrification on the route from Perumanoor, and at that time Railways thought Ernakulam Junction station was enough for the passenger traffic or Navy's permission denial forced them to do so. Hope now they will think to revive this old station along with 'Ernakulam Terminus'

The KSRTC will purchase 100 new buses for conducting services in Ernakulam and will find out a permanent solution within six months to the woes faced by the Vyttila Mobility Hub regarding the number of services, especially during night.

This was mooted at the meeting of the special committee comprising officials of the Vyttila Mobility Hub Society, department of transportation and the KSRTC in Thiruvanathapuram on Saturday, giving a fillip to the operation of the swanky bus terminal.

The committee also suggested that the east-west long-distance buses should ply through the hub to benefit passengers. This facility will be available at night too. Moreover, the services of north-south buses which ply through the city will be synchronised in such a way that they connect with the buses which end service in the hub and help passengers reach the city easily. According to the KSRTC officials, this will be streamlined within 15 days and around 30 buses will be linked together.

It was also decided to exempt KSRTC buses from the Rs 20 charged for entering the hub.

"Once the services are streamlined, the issue of lack of buses at night will be solved. The passengers will get more options for travel to and from the hub within 15 days," M Beena, managing director of the Vyttila Mobility Hub Society, said.

The meeting, which was chaired by transport principal secretary K Elangovan, was attended by Beena and P L Jose, Ernakulam zonal officer of KSRTC. A report on the recommendations would be given to the chief minister soon and a decision would be taken based on it, Beena said.

Though the hub has been in operation for the past couple of months, the passengers have been feeling the pinch of lack of KSRTC buses especially at night as these buses conducted services only from 8 am to 8 pm. According to the KSRTC authorities, night services and circular trips are not financially feasible as there is a shortage of buses. But since the fund has already been allocated in the budget for the purchase of new buses for Kochi, the KSRTC will not find it difficult to procure more buses for Kochi. Once these buses are launched, the hub will become the centre of inter-state KSRTC services.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/Solution-in-sight-for-hub-woes/articleshow/10797848.cms

Proposal for suburban rail gathers momentum


http://www.deccanchronicle.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/article_horizontal/article-images/20Train.jpg.crop_display.jpg

While the Metro Rail has been termed as a single-compartment solution for the choking traffic holdups in the city, introduction of a suburban railway also needs to be taken up alongside, say experts.

While works on the Kochi Metro Rail project are in progress, moves are afoot for a suburban rail in the city.

According to experts, it is the cheapest and most effective transport system for decongesting city roads and also the only system that could effectively handle inter-city transport needs. Kochi has very good rail connectivity in all three directions, north, east and south.

Introduction of MEMEU (Mainline Electrical Multiple Unit) through the existing rail network is one of the most important recommendations in the City Mobility Plan prepared by the Kochi Corporation.

The necessary infrastructure for the introduction of a suburban rail service is already there and all that the authorities have to do is to make use of the existing network and renovate the old railway stations.

A proposal has been submitted to the Railway Ministry for revamping the Ernakulam Railway Goods Station, Cochin Harbour Terminus and Mattanchery Halt rail station to this effect.

Though there is an argument that the existing rail lines are saturated, experts say that by using the Automatic Block Signalling (ABS) technology, this issue can be solved.

The City Mobility Plan proposal is to install ABS signalling at one kilometre intervals on the existing rail lines thus enabling more trains to run on the same track. This could double the line capacity.

“Regular suburban rail services will enable people to stay in the outskirts and come to the city for work. This will help decongest the city traffic and ease the pressure on the city’s basic services like water, power, parking and waste management,” said Mr K.J. Sohan, chairman of the Town Planning Standing Committee who has prepared a proposal: “An affordable and viable urban transport system for the people of Cochin”.

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/kochi/proposal-suburban-rail-gathers-momentum-723

Better bus link for Fort Kochi soon
Fort Kochi will soon have a number of bus services to all major tourist destinations in the state. As of now there are only a few direct services from Fort Kochi to the holiday spots in the state.
“There are plans to start the services at the earliest. The corporation authorities have agreed to provide infrastructure facilities at the tourist complex near Fort Kochi bus stand. But only the ground work has been done so far and we cannot start the services without proper arrangement. Once we are given the office space and other facilities we will start the services,” said a KSRTC official. The KSRTC officials added that they would be able to start the next level of planning only if the corporation completes the maintenance work of the building. “Everything from the number of services to the destinations should be decided,” the official said.
Fort Kochi councillor Antony Kureethara said the work has already started and is expected to be completed in a month. “The tourist complex which has been lying idle for a long time will be revived and a portion will be given to the KSRTC. There will be an office, a ticket counter and a room for the drivers to rest. We started the work five days ago and it will be completed in a month’s time,” he said.
The services will be a boon to the tourists who will have easy access to all other tourist spots. “There is a good percentage of budget tourists coming to Fort Kochi. They generally prefer public transport rather than hiring taxis. It will be definitely beneficial to them and I feel there will not be any shortage of passengers during the season. As of now we are arranging special services in tourist buses to all other tourist destinations,” says Antony, a tourist home owner.

IBN (http://ibnlive.in.com/news/better-bus-link-for-fort-kochi-soon/204582-60-122.html)

Any traffic arrangements at Edapally regarding the opening ceremony of Emmanuel Silks?

Collector to tame irritant Auto Drivers

The district administration plans to standardize auto rickshaw fare in the city based on meter reading. Detailing the plan, Collector P I Sheikh Pareeth said this regulation would be put into effect after holding discussions with auto rickshaw drivers.

This is in view of the protests from the part of the auto rickshaw drivers demanding them to allow travelling through the North Railway OverBridge (ROB).

"We are ready to operationalize a facility where the autos can charge a fixed amount of fee, according to meters. But let them come with the demand, and we are always ready to take initiatives with regard to that", district collector P I Sheikh Pareeth told TOI.

The bridge has been closed for two-wheelers and three-wheelers ever since the dismantling of the side bays began. More than one thousand drivers are said to have lodged their protest on Tuesday, that the detour is forcing them to elicit unreasonable amount of money from commuters. They are also saying commuters are reluctant to hire autos due to this.

"We have petitioned the authorities that we should be allowed to travel through th eROB. But the authorities are not agreeing to our demand. We have demanded this in view of the excess amount the commuters are forced to pay, when we resort to alternative routes. We will intensify the strike in the coming days", said joint secretary of AITUC district committee K R Saju.

However the district administration has ruled out the demand of the auto rickshaw drivers saying that allowing the auto rickshaws travel through the ROB will sabotage the traffic system.

"We cannot at any cost allow the auto rickshaws to enter the ROB. We can even allow the two wheelers. The auto rickshaws are slow moving and will disrupt the pace of the traffic and will put the traffic system in disarray. If they are concerned about the commuters, let them be ready for the standardisation of the fees, then the commuters too would have no objection", said Mr Sheikh Pareeth.

The auto rickshaws are charging excess amounts from the commuters, say forty eight rupees for a travel from North Railway Station to Kaloor junction, whereas earlier the amount was just sixteen rupees for the same travel.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/District-administration-ready-to-standardize-auto-rickshawrickshaw-fares/articleshow/10835163.cms

New KSRTC garage to be completed in 2 months


KOCHI: The construction of the new garage of Kerala Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) near the Ernakulam depot will be completed within 45 days, Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) managing director Tom Jose said here on Thursday.

While briefing the media after a coordination meeting, Jose said that KMRL had already entrusted Kerala Roads and Bridges Development corporation (RBDCK) with the construction of the garage. “RBDCK is expected to complete the construction within 45 to 60 days at an estimated cost of Rs 25 lakh. The construction of the garage will speed up the ongoing work of the Rail Overbridge (RoB) connecting Salim Rajan Road and Rajaji Road,” he said.

Regarding the nod from the Union government for the Kochi metro rail, Jose said that KMRL had already submitted the required details for the preparation of Cabinet note with the Centre.

“Now we are waiting for the Planning and Investment Board (PIB) meeting and the sanction from the Central Department of Expenditure. Once these procedures get over, the proposal will be presented before the Union Cabinet,” Jose added.

Jose said that the metro project would be implemented in three phases. “We think that the feasible idea is to divide the project into three packages consisting of 7 kilometres to 8 kilometres. The classification will give opportunities for different contractors to undertake the work simultaneously,” he added.

About the statement made by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) chief E Sreedharan that the proposed Kochi metro is likely to use Korean technology, he said that the State government was the prime authority to take a decision on technology finalisation.

“Shanghai Maglev and Japanese Maglev are the proven technologies in the world and Korean Maglev, which is still under testing, will be commissioned only in 2012. We will select an appropriate technology after conducting a techno-economic evaluation,” he added. Regarding the land acquisition for the metro rail project, he said that a plan for this would be ready in three to four days.

“An Additional Deputy Collector has been entrusted with the preparation of the acquisition plan. We are expected to complete the entire land acquisition process within four to seven months time,” he added.

He said that it had also been decided to provide parking space for all metro stations. “We are also planning to allocate a dedicated station to the Maharajah’s College. A meeting will be convened by the District Collector soon with the College principal and local MLA to discuss the land acquisition for the proposed station,” he said.http://expressbuzz.com/cities/kochi/new-ksrtc-garage-to-be-completed-in-2-months/336861.html

A five member delegation led by Ahmed Naeem, deputy chief executive officer of Maldivian Port Limited (MPL) arrived at Kochi on Thursday to hold discussions on the proposed ferry service between Kochi and Maldives.

The delegation held discussion with Cochin Port Trust chairman Paul Antony.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, during the South Asian Association for Regional Corporation (SAARC) summit, had signed an agreement for ferry services between Kochi and Kulhudhuffushi Port in Maldives. Apart from the Cochin Port and SCI officials, the delegation will hold discussions with steamer agents and the Chamber of Commerce representatives.

The Maldivian delegation includes Maldivian Port Limited board member Ibrahim Zaki, MPL Harbour master Ahmed Rasheed, MPL civil engineering dept head Ahmed Hinan and Kulhudhuffushi Port managing director Ahmed Atheef.
It has been estimated that last year 25,000 Indians visited Maldives against 1.55 lakh Chinese.

Since 2008 there has been a huge dip in tourists going to Maldives. 10 percentage of Maldives’ imports are from India. The 1 million tonne cargo import is through Tuticorin.

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/ferry-service-delegation-arrives-to-hold-talks/205586-60-122.html

The Old Railway Station will make a good base for long distance trains. starting/terminating at Kochi, for these trains then do not have to travel all the way to South and congest the station. The railways can develop it as a satellite terminal just as Kochuveli, Tambaram, Habibganj (Bhopal), Lokmanya Tilak (Kurla), Nizamuddin etc.

Future metro connectivity and connection for passengers bound to Alleppey and Kottayam can be from Alwaye. This station moreover will make a good base for the proposed Edapally-Tanur line (whenever it comes).

The railways can in fact start this terminal within say two weeks if it wants to. The station building, though dilapidated is still occupied by some railway offices, so all amenities such as sewage, electricity are functional. All it requires is a fresh coat of paint and clearing off the weeds. Even a reservation counter exists just across the road (High Court), so a new one is not needed. The signalling system should still be intact for it was never decommissioned, but the tracks might have to be re-laid (this is not a big deal, the railways does that periodically on the existing tracks anyhow.)

With such basic arrangements, the railways can divert one or two trains that do not require primary maintenance at Kochi to this station. Later, the railways can expand the facilities to include
1. raising platform height and length and building 5-6 additional platforms
2. reconstructing the terminal to incorporate facilities such as parcel office, retiring rooms, waiting rooms, food courts, staff rest rooms and more
3. provision of maintenance and watering facilities

The major issues however will be
4. The two road crossings at Tatapuram and Pachalam, which are unmanned. This will not be an issue in the initial stages as only one or two trains will have to pass. In future, the Pachalam ROB and a new service road through the western side of the tracks to eliminate the Tatapuram crossing will solve the problem.
5. Coach Care Center. This again is not an issue in the initial stages. Only trains requiring primary maintenance will still have to go to ERS till a new facility comes up here or near Edapally.

Lack of equipment hits Motor Vehicles Department


KOCHI: The Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) lacks state-of-the-art machinery to check advanced equipment installed in the pollution control units across the city. According to the MVD officials, the inspection of most of the pollution control units has turned into a mere gimmick. In addition, the MVD officials also lack training to deal with the new software used in the machines.

The MVD provides validity for the machines used in the pollution control units for five years. After which, the machines need to be rechecked. However, this is not happening as the MVD does not have innovative machinery to check the updated machines at he pollution control unit, said an official. “The machines with the department were installed years back and are not serving the purpose. Owing to this, the officials cannot inspect the machines properly. Moreover, most of the pollution control units are not adhering to the prescribed norms for checking a vehicle,“ the MVD official said.

“Usually, minimum of an hour is needed to check a vehicle. But now it takes a few seconds. It is also not necessary to produce the vehicle for the inspection any more as a fitness certificate can be easily procured,” he added. Ernakulam RTO T J Thomas confirmed that the department has been getting frequent complaints against the pollution control units. “It is the long procedure involved which has become one of the main causes for violation of norms. In order to do away with it, the only alternative is to reduce the time taken for the check,” he opined.

Another major stumbling block is that the department officials are unable to match the pace of the recent technological developments. Most of the pollution control units have advanced software. “To check the updated software installed in the machines, we need to be trained at it. This is also not happening. Though the Central government has been conducting training programmes in many parts of the country, we are not able to attend them,” the official said.http://expressbuzz.com/cities/kochi/lack-of-equipment-hits-motor-vehicles-department/337077.html

In a novel effort to create better interactions between autorickshaw drivers and passengers, the City Traffic Police along with the Indian Institute of Job Training (IIJT) conducted a soft skill training session for auto drivers at IIJT Edappally centre on Saturday.

The programme was flagged off by Traffic Police East Assistant Commissioner Baby Vinod. At least 25 autorickshaw drivers from various parts of the city voluntarily participated in the programme.

“Autorickshaw drivers provide the first level of support for the police department. Training is one of the best ways to bring in a change. We are happy that private players are joining hands in uplifting the image of auto drivers and we would extend our help in such initiatives,” Baby Vinod said.

The programme included training the drivers on how to interact with passengers, teaching them how to build trust among passengers, especially lady passengers, and creating a bond among the auto drivers themselves.
As part of the training to create a comradeship among the autorickshaw drivers, they were asked to build bridges with newspapers, in order to teach them how important it is to first build a bridge among themselves if they wanted to create trust among their passengers.

Also, IQ tests were conducted on the drivers. After the programme, Shaheer S, an auto driver participant, said: “The experience was novel and interesting. I think all drivers who interact with passengers should be given such training in soft skills. Drivers need to be told to use their common sense on the road.”
Certificates were distributed at the end of the training session. IIJT and the police department are planning to conduct a bigger programme involving more auto drivers in the coming months.

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/autorickshaw-drivers-given-soft-skill-training/206170-60-122.html

Collector to tame irritant Auto Drivers

I thought Trivandrum owns the worst auto drivers in Kerala, but my recent visit to Cochin proved myself wrong.

Hope Smt Beena can prevent these auto guys from becoming looters.

I thought Trivandrum owns the worst auto drivers in Kerala, but my recent visit to Cochin proved myself wrong.

Hope Smt Beena can prevent these auto guys from becoming looters.

Beena moved from Kakkanad to Vyttila long back... Mr. Sheikh Pareeth is the current Collector of Ernakulam.

From my personal experience, the rickshaw drivers at Kochi are better than the ones in Trivandrum - my experience is limited, so cannot comment much on the guys in TVM. Rick guys in Thrissur, AFAIK, are better than both.

From my personal experience, the rickshaw drivers at Kochi are better than the ones in Trivandrum - my experience is limited, so cannot comment much on the guys in TVM. Rick guys in Thrissur, AFAIK, are better than both.

Best is Calicut drivers, IMO :)

Best is Calicut drivers, IMO :)

My experience with them has been rather disgusting - the first time, I was driving and stopped near one of them for finding my way - they made sure I took the wrong route!

The next time, each rick driver did not want to go to the place I wanted - not a very encouraging response. I got a rick after asking many rick guys.

Best is Calicut drivers, IMO :)


Not any more!!!!!!

I thought Trivandrum owns the worst auto drivers in Kerala, but my recent visit to Cochin proved myself wrong.

Hope Smt Beena can prevent these auto guys from becoming looters.

I would differ in this.... I had been to TVM some time back and found the drivers in the main city area or CBD quite changed... Perhaps it was a marked changed from that of 90s etc.... They have become more disciplined, not extra money, always with meter on etc......

In my experience, Auto drivers outside TVM City, say from Kovalam side, or from Ulloor side etc are still have those old bad practiced... A few in Thampanoor is also same.... But rest in other areas are really good.... The best of lot is from Pattom-Kowidar-Vellayambalam-Karamana side..... While those operating from Kazhakootam side do charge bit more- may be technopark effect........

I understand there was a strong training program conducted in early 2000 that has brought a big change in them.... Further Traffic police are in strict action... Lot of time, they were fined using Mafti Police for over-charging, resulting in a big change in their behaviour.....

Kozhikode, I haven't been recently.... Some 10 years back, when I had visited, yes they were the best in the world.... Perhaps more than the money charging, I appreciate the helping mentality.... That time, I had to go to Ramanattukara, which that time was not part of Kozhikode city.... If it was Cochin, auto drivers would blatantly refuse to go... But in Kozhikode they took me to there, and helped me in finding an address located in interior.... Perhaps such level of friendiliness is never seen anywhere....

Cochin drivers were once upon a time really good.... Their behaviour rapidly changed after finding not much customers are bothered about meters or meter money etc.....Many of auto-drivers, in late 90s-early 2000 started getting associated with Goondas etc, which changed their quality largely....

Moreover people rarely questions them..... These all factors made Cochin auto drivers, highly erratic and too bad.... Still I used to find some good drivers, mainly those from Tripunithara or Mattancherry side.... Aluva drivers are also good, as they are never fussy about going anywhere, though they too charge as they like..... The worst is main city and Kakkanad side.....

Mattancherry-Fort Kochi Auto drivers improved a lot, due to tourism.... But the issue is that, they prefer mostly Whites than natives..... I was suprised to see many auto-drivers in that region are now trained to speak Italian, French, Spanish, German etc, ofcourse not fluently.....
------

I think, we should have special programs for training auto-drivers as well as city traffic police must step out of traditional policing system... Like TVM, they too must try mafti policing and issuing fines for not using meters and charging more etc.....

The best in long run is implementing an e-wallet public transport card, which can be used in all forms of transport like Autos, Taxis, ferry, buses, metro etc.....

Speaking of autorickshaw drivers, with autos not allowed in North ROB, its open loot season in Kochi... something that gives Chennai a complex. Auto drivers are using North ROB as a convenient excuse to loot at will and the administration, by inaction is colluding.

e-wallet is the best solution. It prevents auto / taxis from overcharging, and people from taking free rides in busses. Permanent cards will also allow tracking people in cases of emergency.

I would differ in this.... I had been to TVM some time back and found the drivers in the main city area or CBD quite changed... Perhaps it was a marked changed from that of 90s etc.... They have become more disciplined, not extra money, always with meter on etc......

In my experience, Auto drivers outside TVM City, say from Kovalam side, or from Ulloor side etc are still have those old bad practiced... A few in Thampanoor is also same.... But rest in other areas are really good.... The best of lot is from Pattom-Kowidar-Vellayambalam-Karamana side..... While those operating from Kazhakootam side do charge bit more- may be technopark effect........

I understand there was a strong training program conducted in early 2000 that has brought a big change in them.... Further Traffic police are in strict action... Lot of time, they were fined using Mafti Police for over-charging, resulting in a big change in their behaviour.....

Kozhikode, I haven't been recently.... Some 10 years back, when I had visited, yes they were the best in the world.... Perhaps more than the money charging, I appreciate the helping mentality.... That time, I had to go to Ramanattukara, which that time was not part of Kozhikode city.... If it was Cochin, auto drivers would blatantly refuse to go... But in Kozhikode they took me to there, and helped me in finding an address located in interior.... Perhaps such level of friendiliness is never seen anywhere....

Cochin drivers were once upon a time really good.... Their behaviour rapidly changed after finding not much customers are bothered about meters or meter money etc.....Many of auto-drivers, in late 90s-early 2000 started getting associated with Goondas etc, which changed their quality largely....

Moreover people rarely questions them..... These all factors made Cochin auto drivers, highly erratic and too bad.... Still I used to find some good drivers, mainly those from Tripunithara or Mattancherry side.... Aluva drivers are also good, as they are never fussy about going anywhere, though they too charge as they like..... The worst is main city and Kakkanad side.....

Mattancherry-Fort Kochi Auto drivers improved a lot, due to tourism.... But the issue is that, they prefer mostly Whites than natives..... I was suprised to see many auto-drivers in that region are now trained to speak Italian, French, Spanish, German etc, ofcourse not fluently.....
------

I think, we should have special programs for training auto-drivers as well as city traffic police must step out of traditional policing system... Like TVM, they too must try mafti policing and issuing fines for not using meters and charging more etc.....

The best in long run is implementing an e-wallet public transport card, which can be used in all forms of transport like Autos, Taxis, ferry, buses, metro etc.....


Indeed it's a pleasure to hear good things about my city.
Hiring an auto there at Kochi is really a risky affair now a days.

Indeed it's a pleasure to hear good things about my city.
Hiring an auto there at Kochi is really a risky affair now a days.

Well I don't join with that statement that Kochi drivers are risky..... They are indeed good enough, far better any Metropolitian city drivers.... Try compare with Chennai or Delhi ones with Kochi.....

The issue of over-charging is there, but there is an adhoc system here.... Though rates are higher, they charge uniform to all parties.... Just for example, the rate from South Railway to Shiva Temple is Rs 25 if brought within the station or Rs 20 just outside the station. The rate is uniform, though its unjustifable for less than 600 meters....

In Chennai or Delhi, the drivers charge as they like... Better ability to bargain, lower rates.....

The best thing is to ask any local, general rates.... Most of local people knows adhoc rates fixed time to time..... Only thing is that, auto drivers donot reduce when petrol reduces... Likewise majority of Autos are diesel, yet they increase when petrol prices goes up....

Such things are only bad about Kochi autos, not the fact they are risky.....

Beena moved from Kakkanad to Vyttila long back... Mr. Sheikh Pareeth is the current Collector of Ernakulam.

From my personal experience, the rickshaw drivers at Kochi are better than the ones in Trivandrum - my experience is limited, so cannot comment much on the guys in TVM. Rick guys in Thrissur, AFAIK, are better than both.

Thanks for the update

I think, we should have special programs for training auto-drivers as well as city traffic police must step out of traditional policing system... Like TVM, they too must try mafti policing and issuing fines for not using meters and charging more etc....

Believe me! They have already executed the program! :)

http://www.kochivibe.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/poster_-training.jpg

Believe me! They have already executed the program! :)

http://www.kochivibe.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/poster_-training.jpg

Yes, this has happened.... But it should be continued on a regular basis and Traffic Police must ensure, everyone with CP gets trained, along with a training follow-up...

As of now, its made voluntary and only less than 25 or 30 guys have been trained.... Normally now a days, Auto guys from Fort Kochi-Mattancherry attends every training program they come to know, as they realized the importance of tourism and value of it.... But its high time, such programs be known to people in CBD and Kakkanad, where locals use more commonly.....

UMTA: Hopes brighten for unified


KOCHI: Kochi is all set to witness a boom in the public transportation sector in the coming years with various projects like Metro Rail, construction of new flyovers, the second phase development of Vyttila Mobility Hub and the Water Metro project in the pipeline. With this the scope for setting up a Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (UMTA) has also brightened. The Kochi Corporation has already conveyed the necessity of such an authority to the Centre.

The primary aim of setting up the UMTA is not only to frame policies on transportation and traffic issues in the city but coordinate between various wings of the government. “At present, several departments execute projects and works relating to transportation and traffic in the city. But there is no coordination among them. The major purpose of the UMTA is to link various departments, including the KSRTC, Kochi Corporation, traffic police, Urban Development Department and the PWD,” Mayor Tony Chammany said.

The National Urban Transport Policy set for the cities under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Mission (JNNURM) also envisages the setting up of a Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority in million-plus cities. This is one of the conditions for sanctioning buses for urban transport under JNNURM. As per the guidelines, the UMTA will act as the umbrella body that regulates the overall performance of the public transport system and ensures that the city has a comprehensive public transport system. Such bodies would design networks and routes, assess demand, contract services, monitor performance, manage common facilities like bus stations and terminals. They would have representation from all major operators and stakeholders.

Making the public transportation system more effective will help reduce the number of private vehicles plying on roads. “The main aim behind introducing AC low-floor and semi-low floor buses under JNNURM is to reduce the number of private vehicles. Effective management of these services will attract more people,” said Kochi Corporation Town Planning committee chairman K J Sohan.

He said that before setting up the UMTA, the civic body should have a clear vision on the plan and make sure that it is tailored to suit our needs. “There is a need for such an authority in Kochi and it is important to design this institution to best suit our needs,” he said.

Regarding the formation of UMTA, Chammany said it was the state government which has to decide on the structure and final proposal. “We have only mooted the idea to set up the transport authority.

Already we have conveyed the necessity of such a facility in Kochi to the Chief Minister as well as the Central Government,” he said.

Chammany said that it would be the state government that would decide on whether the UMTA should be set up either on the basis of administrative decision as in Bangalore, Mumbai, and Chennai or through a legislative process as in Hyderabad. “It is too early to comment on the structure as the proposal is only in its initial stages,” he added.http://expressbuzz.com/cities/kochi/umta-hopes-brighten-for-unified/337976.html

Low-floor, low returns


KOCHI: The lack of co-ordination among various departments is cited as one of the major reasons for the low-floor and semi-low floor buses introduced in Kochi and Thiruvanathpuram under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) not attaining break-even stage, almost two year since they began service.

The much-hyped AC low-floor buses were introduced after a rift between the KSRTC and Kochi Corporation over the formation of a special purpose vehicle (SPV) for managing the bus services. The state government had given the KSRTC the authority to manage the services and since then the buses were fully operated by the state-run RTC much to the dislike of the Kochi Corporation. Since then, the corporation took a non-cooperative stand against the buses which were made available through them.

“The KSRTC is sidelining the Kochi Corporation ignoring the fact that it was for the civic body that the funds were allotted from the JNNURM. The buses were introduced as part of the public transport project under the JNNURM. The formation of the SPV for the management of these buses is mandatory as per the JNNURM guidelines. But the KSRTC has ignored this and conducted operations according to its plans,” said a top Corporation official.

At present, a total of 42 AC low-floor and 6 semi-low floor buses are plying through the city. Though these buses are maintaining an average collection, they are yet to reach the break-even level. But there was no corresponding increase in the number of passengers. “Supporting facilities like modern bus shelters, well-equipped parking lots and good roads should be ensured by various departments like the Corporation and the PWD. Here comes the need for a Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority to co-ordinate various departments,” said a top KSRTC official.

As per the data provided by the KSRTC, 39 low-floor AC buses and six non-AC buses have collectively earned Rs 1.3 crore in October alone. The total number of kilometres operated in the month is 3,72,362. The earnings per km (epkm) for the buses stand at Rs 33.85. The estimated epkm for AC buses to reach the break even level is Rs 42.

To make the system more effective, a global positioning system (GPS) is needed. It will help mobile phone users to avail themselves of bus arrival timings. GPS navigation also allows routes to be pre-programmed.

It is hoped that the formation of UMTA will help in better co-ordination among various departments which will in turn attract more commuters to the public transportation system. http://expressbuzz.com/cities/kochi/Low-floor-low-returns/337978.html

Traffic far exceeds carrying capacity of roads


KOCHI: In the past many years, Kochi has seen the highest number of vehicles when compared to other cities in the state. Every month, a record number of new vehicles are registered and enter the already congested city roads.

As per the records of the Motor Vehicles Department, more than five lakh vehicles were registered last year. Ernakulam RTO T J Thomas said the figures of 2011 are likely to exceed that of 2010.

Two-wheelers top the list of the newly registered vehicles, RT officials said.

The present roads cannot take the traffic volume far greater than their carrying capacity, Thomas said. Moreover, the roads were not developed as per the requirements of the city, he added.

On overcoming the issues related to traffic congestion, he said there was a need to control the rising number of vehicles. “As there is a check on population growth, there should be a control on the number of vehicles,” he said.

“The trend that is seen today is that a family of four would have four different vehicles. That only adds to the congestion. If the family uses only one vehicle, it would be better,” Thomas said. The people should be made aware of the benefits of using public transport system, he added. The officials with the Motor Vehicles Department said the roads in Kochi have not changed much in the past 30 years. Almost all the roads are narrow and ill-maintained, which makes travelling difficult. Most of the officials said there was a need for unifying the public transport system to ease the congestion on city roads.http://expressbuzz.com/cities/kochi/Traffic-far-exceeds-carrying-capacity-of-roads/337979.html

RTO to step in to control Auto Drivers not using Meters

Autorickshaws operating without working meters, beware! The Regional Transport Office will soon conduct a drive to spot autos operating with defective meters. “It has been noticed that a majority of autorickshaws in the city are plying without working meters. On an average, three out of five autos in the city are found to be defaulters. Operating without a proper meter makes it easy for them to quote fares according to their whims and fancies,” said T J Thomas, Regional Transport Officer, Kochi. “If an auto is caught without a working meter, the first-time punishment is a fine of `200 and warning. If this is repeated, the penalty can go up to `2,000,” he added.

Meanwhile, the auto drivers claimed that the fluctuating fuel prices are the reason why they refrain from using meters. “These days, the fuel prices are increasing with each passing week. It is not possible for us to operate autos with the minimum charge of `12 anymore,” said Ali, an auto driver. In such a situation, auto drivers are expected to get the meters set according to the fuel price by the Legal Metrology Department. However, they fail to do so. “It is difficult for us to get the meter set every now and then. Moreover, the amount is set at par with petrol prices. This will earn more profits for those who drive diesel vehicles,” said Jose, another auto driver.

“All the meters in autos should be verified and stamped by the Legal Metrology Department. The meters are set at a price at par with the government surcharge and hence should be changed each time there is a change in the surcharge,” said N R Prasad, Deputy Controller, Legal Metrology Department, Kochi.

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/drive-against-defective-auto-meters/207528-60-122.html

KSRTC ignoring passengers

KOCHI: Lack of KSRTC bus services from the Ernakulam Junction railway station to various parts of the city, has become one of the biggest problems faced by the travellers.

The thousands of passengers who alight at the Ernakulam Junction feel that the KSRTC officials have been insensitive to the issue of providing at least one bus for travelling to their work places.

The passengers of Ernakulam-Kayamkulam Express, Shoranur-Ernakulam Express and Kottayam-Ernakulam Express, who alight at the stations in the morning hours, are the worst-affected. “For years, we have been boarding trains that stop at the Ernakulam Junction. We have to depend on autorickshaws that travel without meters. We are being robbed of our money most of the time by the auto drivers. Neither the KSRTC officials noor the Railway authorities have heeded to our request to provide a bus service from the station,” said Mahesh K, a passenger.

If the KSRTC buses can be deployed to the railway stations during the Sabarimala season, the authorities can easily do it on a permanent basis. “Once the pilgrimage season is over, the issue is forgotten,” Rajendran, another passenger said. According to passengers, most of the other stations in the state have either KSRTC stations or stops close to the railway stations.

“At times when there is heavy traffic, it is impossible to walk a kilometre to board a bus. For a station that has a huge passenger flow, it is sad that this issue has not been brought to the attention of the authorities," Rajendran said.

"The issue can easily be solved if the Collector, KSRTC officials, railway authorities and the Police Commissioner sit together and discuss it. However, nobody seems to be interested in solving the problem,” Rajendran added.

Passengers Association Member Mathew Paul said: It is not that the authorities are not aware of the problems being faced by the public. We have brought this to their attention quite a few number of times, but to no avail. The issue has to be addressed seriously.

”District Transport Officer Jose said: “We feel that at the moment there is no need for the KSRTC services to start services from there as so many private buses are plying close to the station. Also, right now, we do not have the facility to deploy buses to the railway station.

""We are waiting for 100 buses that are to be introduced as part of the Thiru Kochi servcies. If the passengers submit a request, the demand will be considered,” Jose added.http://expressbuzz.com/cities/kochi/ksrtc-ignoring-passengers/339744.html

Fort Kochi - Alleppey Bus Service to start soon

KSRTC will soon start bus service from Fort Kochi to Alleppey via. costal highway. The service will start once the road under construction is ready.

Madhyamam (http://www.madhyamam.com/news/136873/111203)

Can anyone enlighten me on which road is the MLA speaking about?

Can anyone enlighten me on which road is the MLA speaking about?

A casual search on Google Maps shows one State highway from Chellanam to Alappuzha via Kannamaly, Arthunkal.

This road also features on the Kerala PWD website as "SH66". The description of this road is "Alappuzha - Arthunkal - Chellanam Thoppumpady Road".

I think this road is not complete - may be they are waiting for its completion.

Random Pics of Ernakulam Junction

Eastern Entry Tower

http://img835.imageshack.us/img835/4752/40214107.jpg

http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/4397/97522849.jpg


Railtel Kerala Region Office at Eastern Entry Tower
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Main Entry
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Southern Foot Over Bridge
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Northern Foot Over Bridge

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Name should be changed as Kochi city Jn...
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To Thrissur Side

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Indian Oil Corporation Ernakulam Terminal

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^^

ERS looks dated! One of the most revenue earning station of the Southern Railway looks like a waste dump yard!

ERS looks dated! One of the most revenue earning station of the Southern Railway looks like a waste dump yard!

It is an awful station. One of the two FOBs does not have proper roofing. The platforms are in poor shape as well. The entry concourse of the station (main entry) is crowded, and is too small. The queue from the ticket counters overflow in to the main area, and often causes disruption.

Platform 1 is more of a luggage dump than a platform - this platform is always crowded. Other than Platform 1, no other platform has a decent food stall (other than those small kiosks) or a book stall!

It is an awful station. One of the two FOBs does not have proper roofing.

FOB AT PALGHAT JUNCTION (Sorry for poor quality)
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FOB AT ERNAKULAM JUNCTION

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Tea Garden Express at ERS - The only train from Kerala having 6 classes of accomodation.

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Finally MEMU arrived at Ernakulam Junction...

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Ernakulam Diesel Loco Shed - The only loco shed in Kerala

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My experience with them has been rather disgusting - the first time, I was driving and stopped near one of them for finding my way - they made sure I took the wrong route!

The next time, each rick driver did not want to go to the place I wanted - not a very encouraging response. I got a rick after asking many rick guys.

Hey..., Which was the place u asked ....? :crazy: :lol:

Btwn, My experience with Palarivattom ricks is good they never overcharged me for any late night journey calls. But No good experience with Kakkanad ricks.

The Grand Cochin Harbour Terminus - Was the most busiest station in Kerala State.

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Looking towards station Building
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Station name Kochi or Cochin
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^^

This should be made a Historical Museum :lol:

I wonder, how the place name board looks new with Muthoot's recent logo! :nuts:

^^
I wonder, how the place name board looks new with Muthoot's recent logo! :nuts:

Recently they placed advt boards in entire stations in Kochi UA including CHTS and Mattanchery Halt. See the right top corner of the board.

^^
This should be made a Historical Museum :lol:


No Malayali. Station master from CHTS told, after completion of new Venduruthy bridge chances (80%) are high for restoring the PASSENGER (Shornur and Guruvayur) trains:banana:. I expect it on 2013:). He also pointed out, still some minor issues pending with Indian Navy regarding electrification. Anyhow, CHTS is the second most revenue yielding station of TVC division after Kalamassery.

^^

CHTS is the second most revenue yielding station of TVC division after Kalamassery.

didn't get you!

^^

Oh sorry... I mean in terms of freight.....

^^

Oh sorry... I mean in terms of freight.....

How?? AFAIK, the station has not been functioning for years! Am i wrong!

^^
Station is very much active with its fright movements. CONCOR's only container terminal (Rail Road Terminal) in Kerala is located near CHTS. CONCOR operates daily train services to Whitefiled ICD and weekly to Salem and Tuticorin. Bulk cargoes to Cochin port and consumer goods to mattanchery market are also handling here.

From Kerala Railway Thread
Protest from rice merchants against the hike in Demurrage charges at Cochin Harbour Terminus, Thrissur and Kollam railway stations.

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Source: Madhyamam

Dear Malayali, clear??

^^

Thanks biju! That's a new info to me :)

Station is very much active with its fright movements. CONCOR's only container terminal (Rail Road Terminal) in Kerala is located near CHTS. CONCOR operates daily train services to Whitefiled ICD and weekly to Salem and Tuticorin. Bulk cargoes to Cochin port and consumer goods to mattanchery market are also handling here.

To be exact, CHTS is not active. Freight handling is different from CHTS - CHTS was meant only for handling passengers. However, the earnings would be collated under the head of CHTS.

The railways are taking interest in rebuilding Venduruthy Bridge only due to the significant freight earnings from the line. Passenger service was never profitable for the railways, and no line survives solely due to passenger earning. Lines which have only passenger traffic are being retained due to social commitment.

Passenger services to CHTS would be restored only if the railways manage to electrify the ERS-CHTS section. The last I heard is that the Navy still has objections about electrification of the sector (something related to the landing path of aircrafts).

Trial run of MEMU train begins

The MEMU train, which was stationed at the Ernakulam Junction railway station since Monday night, was taken to Kollam for a trial run on Wednesday.

The train left for Kollam at 2.15 pm under the supervision of the railway area manager George John. “The train, which started from the station, will reach Kollam via Kayamkulam on Wednesday evening. Once, it finishes its round, it will reach Ernakulam at 9 am on Thursday.It will again depart for Kollam via Kottayam at 2.45 pm the same day and reach Kollam station at 6.45 pm.”

The MEMU after the trial run there will then start from the Kollam station at 10 am and reach Ernakulam through Kottayam at 2.30 pm. “At present, the success of the trial run will justify whether the train needs to stay here. A safety certificate should be obtained first, then only decisions can be taken,” George added.

Introducing MEMUs from Kochi have been part of the railway budget announced during 2009-2010 and 2010-2011.

Meanwhile, a widespread protest broke out on Tuesday night on the railway authorities move to recall the MEMU train back to Chennai without conducting a trial run. The decision was then cancelled, when DYFI activists led by P Rajeev MP protested in front of the train.http://expressbuzz.com/cities/kochi/Trial-run-of-MEMU-train-begins/341205.html

To be exact, CHTS is not active. Freight handling is different from CHTS - CHTS was meant only for handling passengers. However, the earnings would be collated under the head of CHTS.


The reservation counter and some other offices are still active. Of course, the passenger platform is deserted, and a forest has grown over what was once Kerala's largest Coach Care Center. But the adjoining goods yard that is almost parallel to the platforms with entry from Indira Gandhi Road (different from the Concor CFS) is active and bears the name "Cochin Harbour Terminus Goods Yard." The station master should also be the same.


Passenger services to CHTS would be restored only if the railways manage to electrify the ERS-CHTS section. The last I heard is that the Navy still has objections about electrification of the sector (something related to the landing path of aircrafts).


From what I heard, the Navy had given the NOC for electrification around the time the old bridge was damaged, but I am not sure whether that NOC was conditional / came with some strings attached.

But even without waiting for electrification, Malabar/Konkan trains that still run on diesel locos from ERS can shift base to CHTS. Of course, SRR-MAQ electrification is underway, but it should still take a few years before that stretch sees electric locos.... and then once the Palghat-Pollachi gauge conversion is over, CHTS can be base for trains to Madurai / Rameshwaram etc, which again will run on diesel loco.

...bears the name "Cochin Harbour Terminus Goods Yard." The station master should also be the same.

Goods yards are usually controlled by a "Yard Master", and not a "Station Master". Station master looks after passenger operations. In case of CHTS, the freight operations are handled by a separate yard master.


But even without waiting for electrification, Malabar/Konkan trains that still run on diesel locos from ERS can shift base to CHTS. Of course, SRR-MAQ electrification is underway, but it should still take a few years before that stretch sees electric locos.... and then once the Palghat-Pollachi gauge conversion is over, CHTS can be base for trains to Madurai / Rameshwaram etc, which again will run on diesel loco.

Only a couple of KR bound trains operate from Ernakulam Junction - those trains are maintained at Ernakulam Coaching depot. Shifting those trains to CHTS would mean operating hauling empty rakes from the coaching depot to CHTS and back - this means unwanted fuel expense and also wastes an operational slot.

A good number of Konkan/Malabar trains now run with electric locos to Shoranur.

Only a couple of KR bound trains operate from Ernakulam Junction - those trains are maintained at Ernakulam Coaching depot. Shifting those trains to CHTS would mean operating hauling empty rakes from the coaching depot to CHTS and back - this means unwanted fuel expense and also wastes an operational slot.

A good number of Konkan/Malabar trains now run with electric locos to Shoranur.


Well, the revival of CHTS should include the coach care center there. Without this, it will not serve much purpose. Eventually the track should also be electrified to derive full benefits of the terminal.

Without the coaching depot, only the following Konkan trains that do not have primary maintenance at ERS yard can be shifted to CHTS: But this too will require facilities for secondary maintenance such as washing and watering.

Ernakulam - Madgaon Exp (weekly)
Ernakulam - Okha Express (bi-weekly)
Ernakulam - Pune Poorna Exp (weekly)

Three other trains:
Ernakulam - Bilaspur Exp (weekly)
Ernakulam - Barauni Exp (weekly)
Ernakulm - Nagore Tea Garden Exp (daily)
can also be shifted to CHTS as they do not have primary maintenance at ERS. But these trains will require loco change to electric at ERS: still worth it to free up the tracks and platforms at ERS

In addition, CHTS can also handle the proposed extension of the Mumbai-Mangalore Jn Daily Exp (would have happened during the last budget if not for the protests at Mangalore over the extension of Bangalore train to Kannur - if not this a new train will eventually come)

Even Kochuveli started will just a weekly or bi-weekly train, and like Kochuveli facilities can be gradually increased to acomodate more trains.



With the coaching yard, the following trains can also be shifted:
Ernakulam - Kannur Intercity (daily)
Ernakulam - Nizamuudin Mangala (daily)
Ernakulam - Ajmer Marusagar bi-weekly
Ernakulam - Pune Bi-weekly

The two Durantos can also be shifted, but then these trains cannot have a commercial stop at ERS, so it is better to retain them at ERS

The trains that run on electric locos to SRR are those that start from TVC. Except for the ERS-SRR-NIL passenger, all Konkan trains starting from ERS are usually fitted with a diesel loco itself.

Great idea, but there are some incorrect information in what you say:

Well, the revival of CHTS should include the coach care center there. Without this, it will not serve much purpose. Eventually the track should also be electrified to derive full benefits of the terminal.

The railways have established a decently big coaching depot near Ernakulam Marshalling Yard. I am not very sure if the railways would be interested in establishing another one hardly 10 kms away. Therefore, at the current status, CHTS would be able to handle only trains that have their PM at the other end, or may be trains that have a long layover at Ernakulam (like Mangala Express, the rake of which returns more than 24 hours later)


Ernakulam - Madgaon Exp (weekly)
Ernakulam - Okha Express (bi-weekly)
Ernakulam - Pune Poorna Exp (weekly)


Ernakulam-Okha express is maintained at Ernakulam Coaching depot. The rake of this train (along with the rake of the ERS-Patna Exp) is used for running the Ernakulam-Bangalore Superfast(s) as well.


can also be shifted to CHTS as they do not have primary maintenance at ERS. But these trains will require loco change to electric at ERS: still worth it to free up the tracks and platforms at ERS


Changing a loco for hardly 10 kms run is not worthwhile - and that was the simple reason why CHTS fell out of grace. A Loco change wastes a lot of time, and it would give no benefit to the railways. There is a huge passenger coaches yard, and the reason why the railways are not shunting the rakes there is beyond me.


With the coaching yard, the following trains can also be shifted:
Ernakulam - Kannur Intercity (daily)
Ernakulam - Nizamuudin Mangala (daily)
Ernakulam - Ajmer Marusagar bi-weekly
Ernakulam - Pune Bi-weekly


Like I said earlier, establishment of another coaching depot is unlikely - the stations are too close for such an investment.

ERS-AII Marusagar is a weekly, not a biweekly. ERS-Pune Bi-Weekly SF Express has its PM at Pune, not ERS - this train can be a good candidate to be shifted to CHTS. Similarly, ERS-AII Marusagar is an NWR rake, this train can also be shifted to CHTS.

establishment of another coaching depot is unlikely - the stations are too close for such an investment.

Almost all big cities have two or more coaching depots at close proximity: Chennai, Bangalore, and even Trivandrum.

For present needs, the Coaching Yard opposite ERMC at Kathrikadavu suffice. In fact the railways is adding another pit line there... However there is no scope for much further expansion there owing to paucity of space, and this is when the importance of CHTS will come into play. In fact even now, the Tea Garden and some other trains are berthed at the station itself rather than taken to the yard possibly owing to shortage of tracks.

Having said all this, there is also the issue of re-developing the Old Railway Station. Two coaching centers is realistic, but three is a dream. So in the coming days it will be Old Railway Station vs CHTS as Kochi's second major rail terminal. Whichever station looses out on the coaching yard will have to be content with a few passenger / MEMU trains.

Advantages of CHTS:
1. Already operational tracks and stations, therefore lesser cost to re-develop compared to Old Railway Station. The coaching yard also exists and can be revived without any major investment
2. These trains will still touch ERS as a pass-through train without congesting the station, offering connectivity to KTYM and APPY passenger trains. With Old railway Station, passengers from south of Kochi will have to board some other express train and transit at Alwaye or Trichur.

Disadvantages of CHTS
1. Lack of adequate patronage, for most passengers will still prefer to get in from ERS. The primary justification for operations will be to relieve the load off ERS.
2. Objections of Navy in electrification
3. Will have to share space with goods operations
4. The gate opposite the old airport will once again become a bottleneck for vehicular traffic. To avoid this, the Venduruthy-Gammon Bridge road will have to be re aligned to pass through the western side of the tracks.

Advantages of Old Railway Station (proposed Kochi Central)
1. Possibly bigger space than CHTS available exclusively for passenger operation
2. Located in heart of the city, easy approachable from all parts (including West Kochi by boat), and very near to Vallarpadom ICTT. If handled properly by running MEMU at peak hours, will play a major role in decongesting city traffic.
3. Will reduce the passenger load at ERS and ERN, leaving the stations free for local trains and pass-through long distance trains. Kochi Central will have better patronage than CHTS

Disadvantages of Old Railway Station (Kochi Central)
1. The tracks and station lie abandoned, so will have to be re-laid.
2. The existing station was designed to handle just one or two trains. It will have to be re-designed to increase capacity. Moreover unlike CHTS the coaching yard will have to be build from scratch
3. Pachalam gate will become a big bottleneck for vehicular traffic. A elevated roundabout cum ROB will become an absolute necessary once the terminal operates in full swing. Also a new link road parallel to track will be required to prevent Tatapuram from being cut off.
4. Mangalavana is dead for all practical purposes, but environmentalists will still make a hue and cry. In fact protests by environmentalists was a major reason that railways shifted the goods yard from here to Kalamassery in the early 1990s, leading to the abandonment.

Almost all big cities have two or more coaching depots at close proximity: Chennai, Bangalore, and even Trivandrum.


Please take into consideration the number of trains that terminate in these cities as well. Just arguing for the sake of it has no point. In case of Trivandrum, the current coaching depot is so small that the trains out of TVC are poorly kept. The railways have plans to move all coaching works to Nemom, and a new coaching depot was proposed at Nemom in the last budget as well. This coaching depot would work like BBQ (Basin Bridge Jn) works for MAS (Chennai Central).

Kochuveli was always a non-starter. The project is still crawling - Kochuveli should be made a terminus for trains coming from NCJ side, and not for trains coming from ERS.

The coaching depot at CHTS was abandoned long long back - I am not sure how possible is it to "revive" it - the railways would have to invest as much as creating a new coaching depot. I see no real advantage in re-opening CHTS as a terminus for express trains - yes, it would free up some lines in ERS, but I am not sure if that justifies the extra distance operated.

Reviving the old Ernakulam Station (ERG) would be more advantageous than CHTS, IMHO. ERG is more centrally located, and is an ideal place for starting long distance trains.

Please take into consideration the number of trains that terminate in these cities as well. Just arguing for the sake of it has no point.


Please read what I said in my last post:

For present needs, the Coaching Yard opposite ERMC at Kathrikadavu suffice. In fact the railways is adding another pit line there... However there is no scope for much further expansion there owing to paucity of space, and this is when the importance of CHTS will come into play.

Now who is arguing for the sake of it?

Even now most of the Kerala trains run full. If all the developments such as Smart City, ICTT, Puthuvype projects etc. come as planned, the demand for train seats from Kochi will only increase in the near future, and it is only expedient to start more trains from Kochi. New lines such as Paghat-Pollachi GC will also necessite starting new trains.

Trivandrum is already over-congested and even when Nemom comes, will not be able to handle all the new trains in future. So a second coaching center is very much justified for Kochi.

Again, a second yard (which the railways can develop without any land acquisition be it in CHTS or ERG) will help not just Kochi or Kerala. For example, the Tea Garden express has primary maintenance at Chennai (as it shares rake with Nagore-Chennai Exp). A second yard at Kochi will allow shifting primary maintenance to here, freeing up a slot in Chennai which can be used to start a new train from Chennai to anywhere in the country.


Regarding "reviving" the coaching yard at CHTS, yes, the machinery and tracks would have rusted and has to be re-laid, but the railways will not have to spend for the yard design, earth works etc... even the buildings are still intact.... but yes I agree ERG makes more commercial sense than CHTS.

Please read what I said in my last post:

For present needs, the Coaching Yard opposite ERMC at Kathrikadavu suffice. In fact the railways is adding another pit line there... However there is no scope for much further expansion there owing to paucity of space, and this is when the importance of CHTS will come into play.

Now who is arguing for the sake of it?

Wait. This is what you said in your opening lines:

Almost all big cities have two or more coaching depots at close proximity: Chennai, Bangalore, and even Trivandrum.


This most certainly implies, all these cities have two or more centres, so why not Kochi. My answer is to this point. Now its up to you to decide who is arguing for the sake of it.


Even now most of the Kerala trains run full. If all the developments such as Smart City, ICTT, Puthuvype projects etc. come as planned, the demand for train seats from Kochi will only increase in the near future, and it is only expedient to start more trains from Kochi. New lines such as Paghat-Pollachi GC will also necessite starting new trains.


Where is the railway line to run all the "new" trains? Now, unless and until the railways spend money on - either automatic signalling in territories where it is possible or they carry out quadrupling of the Podanur-Shoranur-Ernakulam section - there isn't much scope of adding more trains. Auto-Block-Signalling is not feasible in areas with Gradients - like the Shoranur-Thrissur section (which is regarded as an "unofficial" ghat section). The railways can atleast reduce the length of the block sections and introduce Intermediate Block sections for the time being.

Once Vallarpadam starts handling cargo at its designed capacity, there is no way the current infrastructure can handle all the demand - so the question of starting new trains does not really arise here.

Trivandrum is already over-congested and even when Nemom comes, will not be able to handle all the new trains in future. So a second coaching center is very much justified for Kochi.


Nemom is a much bigger coaching facility than the current setups in Kerala - it would be similar to the BBQ yard in Chennai. So, if Nemom becomes a reality, I see no point in your argument of it being not-sufficient.

I agree that Kochi needs a better terminus of its own from where long distance trains may operate. ERS could be continued as the point for through trains and for MEMU services. ERG cannot handle MEMU services other than those towards AWY (unless they change the layout and bring in a spur connecting the line towards ERN).

But yes, CHTS or ERG (whichever is selected) would require a coaching yard of its own. They can start operations with ERMC, but in the due course they need their own coaching operations.

ERG makes more commercial sense than CHTS, IMHO.

I am not here to prove that Kochi does not require another terminus or a coaching depot for that matter, but the current population distribution of Kerala makes only further south-bound trains successful. With the opening of Smart City, trains terminating at Kochi would get a life altogether - the current Durontos might find passengers then.

This most certainly implies, all these cities have two or more centres, so why not Kochi. My answer is to this point. Now its up to you to decide who is arguing for the sake of it.

Well, your implication is wrong.

My statement was in reply to your statement "The railways have established a decently big coaching depot near Ernakulam Marshalling Yard. I am not very sure if the railways would be interested in establishing another one hardly 10 kms away."

My point is, if the railways can establish coaching centers in other cities at about 10 kms distance, surely they will be interested in establishing another one in Kochi, if the need is there.


Where is the railway line to run all the "new" trains? Now, unless and until the railways spend money on - either automatic signalling in territories where it is possible or they carry out quadrupling of the Podanur-Shoranur-Ernakulam section - there isn't much scope of adding more trains. Auto-Block-Signalling is not feasible in areas with Gradients - like the Shoranur-Thrissur section (which is regarded as an "unofficial" ghat section). The railways can atleast reduce the length of the block sections and introduce Intermediate Block sections for the time being.

Once Vallarpadam starts handling cargo at its designed capacity, there is no way the current infrastructure can handle all the demand - so the question of starting new trains does not really arise here.



We need both terminals and increase in track capacity. One cannot possibly co-exist without the other.

The railways seems to have made up its mind on adding a third line in ERS-SRR stretch, which if demand is there will surely be extended to Podanur as a dedicated freight corridor; Pressure is slowly building on railways to take up automatic signalling or block reductions; new lines such as Palghat-Pollachi-Dindigul, Punalur-Tenkasi and others are coming up; ERS-TVC will become FEDL... all these will take time, but unlike the Sabari or the Edapally-Guruvayoor-Tanur line we can expect these projects in the forseeable future. So there is scope to start new trains in future....

Again, the ERS-SRR sector is at present saturated only 118%, which is relatively less compared to some other sections (ERS-KYJ is 140% and KJY-TVC is 120%). So the railways can even now start a daily train each from Kochi to Mumbai and Bangalore; but both Bangalore and Mumbai have shortage of pit-lines which Kochi can provide.

and again, as I have mentioned in a previous post, a new coaching center in Kochi (or anywhere else for that matter) need not necessarily be useful only to run new trains to Kochi, but will help run new trains in many other underutilized sections not even remotely connected to Kochi.

Nemom is a much bigger coaching facility than the current setups in Kerala - it would be similar to the BBQ yard in Chennai. So, if Nemom becomes a reality, I see no point in your argument of it being not-sufficient.


The present TVC yard is grossly over-saturated. A much bigger Nemom (only when it becomes full swing) will both reduce the pressure and throw open some new space. But it will also have to cater to new trains through Quilon-Sencottah and take over the trains currently serviced at Kochuveli (which will then go to the NCJ bound trains).

For Trivandrum, the Punalur-Sencottah-Madurai-Karur-Salem route (and even the NCJ route) is much shorter than the Kochi route. By the time GC at Punalur is over, that route beyond Madurai will also become FEDL. So there will be more demands for new trains based at Nemom through this shorter route.

So in such a scenario, it is very much reasonable to assume that Nemom cannot (or rather need not) possibly handle all Central Kerala trains as well.


ERG makes more commercial sense than CHTS, IMHO.

+1 to that

... but the current population distribution of Kerala makes only further south-bound trains successful. With the opening of Smart City, trains terminating at Kochi would get a life altogether - the current Durontos might find passengers then.

Not necessarily so. For almost all the trains in Kerala to other states, the Kochi-Trichur belt account for a sizable traffic, and even if all (or most) trains start from TVC, (long distance) passengers from South Kerala cannot occupy more than 50 percent of the train as the reservation distribution will be spread equally. Trains thus run either half-empty or is filled with local commuters between TVC and ERS. This is when there will still be considerable waiting list from places like TVC, QLN, KTYM etc and even ERS,TCR,PGT etc.

Distributing trains between TVC and Kochi will allow railways to offer more berths for people in South Kerala (by making such trains as Remote Location Quota for Kochi and beyond), and compensate Central Kerala and even Coimbatore-Erode belt with trains starting from Kochi.

Moreover, as railways will look to operate atleast some TVC trains via Punalur-Shencottah to benefit TVC and QLN; another train to the same destination will start from Kochi, with connecting MEMUs to QLN via Kottayam and Alleppey. For such an arrangement, CHTS will work better than ERG.

The preliminary works on the proposed high-speed rail corridor linking Thiruvananthapuram with Mangalore are expected to begin in 2013. The first phase of the project — the Thiruvananthapuram-Kochi link — would be ready in five-and-a-half years, according to T. Balakrishnan, chairman and managing director of the Kerala High Speed Rail Corporation.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Kochi/article2703856.ece

Proposal to buid 6 lane fly overs for the 4 major junctions in Kochi bypass with an estimated cost of 1158 crore.

http://www.manoramaonline.com/cgi-bin/MMOnline.dll/portal/localContentView.do?tabId=16&programId=1079897624&contentId=10612375&district=Cochin&BV_ID=@@@

Heed signals! You are watched over (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/Heed-signals-You-are-watched-over/articleshow/11088601.cms)
Motorists indulging in all kinds of antics on city roads beware! A group of ten police personnel is watching you, sitting glued to a dozen monitors that display visuals transmitted by 35 surveillance cameras installed at various points in the city.

On spotting traffic violation or a suspicious activity, these cops will alert the mobile police control vehicles that will zero in on the offender.

"We have upgraded the surveillance cameras. Our system can zoom in, rotate or tilt the cameras, which can transmit clear visuals even during heavy rains," said Control Room assistant commissioner PK Vijayyapan.

These cameras have been installed at 14 identified spots in the city. On an average, 150 traffic offenders are booked a month through the surveillance system.

"With the new cameras, we can zoom in on a vehicle even half-a-km away. Those who violate zebra crossings, do not wear helmets/seat belts will be booked. Currently, the entire stretch of SA Road, MG Road and Banerji Road is under our surveillance," he said.

He said the city police would soon install a batch of 15 cameras in the second phase covering Vytilla, Palarivattom and Edappally stretches. "We have started the ground work on this. A dedicated optic fibre network has been installed to connect all the cameras to the control room," the official said.

"We will send notice to an offender after obtaining the address of the vehicle from its registration details. If the person has any objection to the offence raised against him in the notice, we will show him the recorded visuals," Vijayyapan said.

He also said the city police would take up a massive awareness campaign to sensitize people on surveillance cameras. "We hope the cameras will create a deterrent effect. We expect people to obey traffic rules fearing that their activities are being closely watched."

Staff crunch delays crucial projects (http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-12-03/kochi/30472057_1_staff-crunch-metro-rail-sabari-rail)

TNN Dec 3, 2011, 08.11AM IST


KOCHI: Various development works in the district have been stuck in their preliminary stage, thanks to the staff crunch in the land acquisition department at the district collectorate.
"We have already brought the issue to the notice of the authorities, but in vain. At present, the department has only five employees where as the required number of staff is 15," employees currently working in the department say.


http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/images/pixel.gif
According to an official in the land acquisition department, many of the ongoing projects would be affected by the shortage of officers. "It will affect the projects which are on the anvil too," they say. "The survey works of various projects including the Muvattupuzha bypass and the Perumbavoor bypass road are lagging because of this issue. We have only one-by-third of the required workforce. Hence, it is difficult to clear files quickly," the officials say.
The Muvattupuzha bypass connecting Muvattupuzha to MC Road and the Perumbavoor bypass connecting Perumbavoor and Muvattupuzha are of utmost importance to Kochiites. Once commissioned, these roads will help ease traffic congestion.
The office of the survey deputy director too faces staff crunch. While there is a requirement of 21 surveyors, at present only 15 are available. Of these 15 employees, six have been entrusted with the Kochi metro rail project work.
"The staff shortage may affect the survey works of various projects including metro rail, Sabari rail, double line work of Ernakulam-Kayamkualm rail route, Kochi drinking water project and Angamaly IIP low-level canal," the officials say. "We had reported the vacancies to the authorities concerned several times. Though they promised to resolve the issue, no new employees have been appointed so far," they say.

Project for waterway to be drawn up (http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article2713534.ece)

Trial boat service to be operated on Thursday


Special machine to clear hyacinth-clogged canals


A project will be drawn up for the implementation of the proposed waterway from Kochi to Nedumbassery airport through Kadamprayar, District Collector P.I. Sheikh Pareeth has said.

The Collector exuded confidence that the proposed waterway connecting Marine Drive, Vyttila, Infopark, and Nedumbassery would change the face of the city. Jet boats which can cover the distance within 35 minutes are best suited for the purpose. Mr. Pareeth hoped that jet boat service which ensures speedy transport without polluting water bodies would be a success here.

A trial boat service will be operated through the route on Thursday. The proposed waterway will also be helpful in utilising the tourism potential of Kadamprayar.

The Collector said that waterways are needed alongside road networks to find a solution to the teething traffic problems of the city. Kochi is one of the best suited Indian cities for inland water navigation.

Through proper planning, waterways on a par with European countries can be readied in the city.

The proposed boat service connecting the city with the Kochi airport is the first step in this direction. Mr. Pareeth pointed out that canals clogged with slush and water hyacinth is the main hindrance to water transport. The traditional methods to de-clog the canals by removing them will not be effective. Even taking excavators on jankars or ferry would not have much impact as proved by attempts by various departments and local self-government bodies in the past.

The Collector said that an American-made special machine has been found useful in clearing canals. It costs about Rs. 1.50 crore. He said that three such machines were purchased by the fisheries department during his tenure as director there.

It can be used in land and water alike and chew away at the water hyacinth with the help of a revolving belt and discharge it in liquid form 200 meters away.

It is also capable of removing slush from a depth of six meters.

The machines bought by the fisheries department had been proved to be very effective.

The Collector said that these specialized machines would have to be used to clear canals of waste to beautify them and to make them fit for transport.

KOCHI: Kochiites will soon be able to land at the Nedumbassery international airport by water! In a bid to ease the traffic congestion in the city, the district administration has come up with an ambitious project.� Efforts have already begun for setting up a Kochi-Nedumbassery waterway project, said District Collector P I Sheik Pareeth. The project is envisaged as part of the plans to develop waterways in the city, said the Collector.

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/waterway-to-link-kochi-and-airport-soon/211796-60-122.html

Kochi's hopes lie in canals (http://expressbuzz.com/cities/kochi/kochis-hopes-lie-in-canals/343440.html)
Waterways are the only solution to the city’s growing traffic issues, officials feel. The district administration’s efforts to operate a boat service from Kochi to Nedumbassery could be the beginning of an ambitious project to make use of the city’s own canals and backwaters.
Kochi is the only city in the country which is connected with three national waterways and 14 state waterways.
Already, there are boats and ferry services operating to various parts of the city. There are more than 30 services, including boats, junkars, canoes and speed boats, that operate everyday from the 50 jetties across Kochi. Out of the total 16 local bodies which come under the Kochi Corporation, as many as 12 are connected with ferry services.
The Kochi Corporation has already mooted the project for an SPV (Special Project Vehicle) to operating motor boats. “Augmentation of the existing waterways within our limits should be carried out on a priority basis. That is why the corporation has decided to go for an SPV. For this, we need to bring in some amendments to the existing bylaw. We have initiated the proceedings for this,” said former Mayor K J Sohan, who is currently the Town Planning Standing Committee chairman.
Operating waterways is comparatively more cheap and environmental-friendly, he said. “If you travel from Fort Kochi to Ernakulam by bus it would take about 45 minutes or more and a bus fare of Rs 11 whereas travelling by boat would take a maximum of 15 minutes and will cost only around Rs 2.50. So even if the boat fare is increased to Rs 5, passengers will prefer this mode of transport,” Sohan said.
However, modernisation of the existing boat services and waterways is essential. It should be more frequent, regular and modern. Only then will a large number of vehicles from Fort Kochi, Mattanchery and Vypeen region to Ernakulam will be off from the roads. There are already boat jetties and ferry services at Vypeen region and Thevara.
Sohan added that the augmentation of existing waterways and developing them would be cheaper compared to the existing road and rail projects. “Augmentation of waterways will cost only around Rs 150 crore. It won’t affect Kochi’s green cover,” he said. The SPV project of the Kochi Corporation will be implemented on the Cochin International Airport model. There will be ‘point -to-point’ boat services which can cater to the needs of daily passengers. Instead of Kochi Metro, we should implement the water metro project, said Admiral B R Menon, former chairman of Kerala State Inland Navigation Corporation.

Waterway project remains on paper (http://expressbuzz.com/cities/kochi/waterway-project-remains-on-paper/343441.html)
Inland waterways are ideal for Kochi. Land acquisition or rehabilitation problems don't come in its way but there are other hurdles to be crossed for implementing the project. Though the Inland Waterway Authority of India (IWAI) has implemented the National Waterway-3, of which the Kollam-Kottappuram stretch of the
Kasargod-Kovalam project is almost ready, the waterway project mooted for Kochi is still on paper thanks to the apathy of the Water Resources Department.
Studies have been conducted but the state government is yet to take up the issue. Silt-filled canals, their size, the bridges over them, fishing nets, water hyacinths and objections from the public come in the way of making waterways in Kochi a reality.
“First of all, the Edappally canal, Thevara-Perandoor canal, Chilavannor Thodu, Thevara canal and market canal, identified for the project are highly silted. All the canals have to be dredged, said Satheesh B Nair of Inland Water Transport, National Transport Planning and Research Centre.
The bridges over the canals are another problem. “The bridges over Rameswaram canal and Edappally canal, the NH bridge over the Chilavanoor canal and the Vytilla bridge are not high. The height of the bridge must be 5.5 metres for national waterways but no norms have been set for other waterways,” he said.
The bridge divides the Thevara canal into two and it has to be considered as two independent canals. Moreover, encroachments are rampant on canal sides. As a result, they turn narrow and polluted. The canals must at least be 14 m wide and 2.2 m deep.
Water weeds and water hyacinths also hinder the project. The weeds tend to coil around the radar and effect engine functioning.
Fishing nets and the depth availability also hinder the work, besides the local objections, said N Sivaraman, director, IWAI. The authority has developed the Amabalamedu, Eloor, Maradu, Udyogamandal and Chambakkara terminals. The work on the Irumpanam terminal is still going on.
Water ways are eco-friendly. “Interface of tides and mechanical agitation of boats will keep the water in the canals healthy,” said Satheesh.

http://epaper.mathrubhumi.com/epaperimages/16122011/16122011-md-ek-2/15517578.JPG

Kochi-Kadambayar Navigation Trial run DONE

The District Collector Sheikh Pareeth, MLA Benny Behanan, DTPC officials conducted a trial run of Kochi's first Water Metro route- Marine Drive-Thevera-Vytilla-Kadambayar. The trial run was initiated from Infopark Water Point to Kizhambalam Kadambayar Boat Club. The area is extremely ridden with Water Hyacinth and the District administration proposed use of special Water Hyacinth Clearing machines of State Fisheries. The collector ordered to clear the water lillies, Hyacinth within 3 days and restart the trial run after this, to make new estimate. The old estimate for around 5 Crore Rs, submitted by KITCO. The project will be submitted to Tourism Department and expected to accorded at the earilest.

Once the project is one, it can transport more than 1000 people from Western parts of city to Eastern parts in less than half an hour. Since the roads leading to Kochi's IT Hub- Kakkanad getting too congested, the ferry route would be more easier, cheaper, environmental friendly and also passengers able to enjoy the ride.

The district administration has kick started the ambitious project of setting up the Kochi-Nedumbassery waterway project, with a trial run through the canal connecting the international airport and the Kadambrayar.

The team led by District Collector P I Sheik Pareeth, in four small boats, started the journey from Infopark and ended at the Kadambrayar river. MLA Benny Behnan, Thrikkakara Municipality chairman P I Muhammad Ali and officials were among those who travelled in the boats.

Pareeth said that the trial run was conducted to know the hurdles to be removed before conducting the actual run.

“The major difficulty in achieving the goal would be cleaning of the canals, which are filled with mud and hyacinths. We have to see where the canal has to be deepened and how the hyacinths can be removed,” he said.

He said that they would overcome all hurdles in making the waterway a success. He also noted that the waterway would ease the traffic congestion to a certain limit. The project is envisaged as part of the plans to develop waterways in the city.

The district administration is planning to introduce new machinery for cleaning the canals, instead of using traditional methods of cleaning which include use of JCBs and junkars. The district administration is planning to make use of a US-made machinery, available with the fisheries department, to remove the hyacinths. Moreover, the administration would also be introducing eco-friendly jet boats. Once the Marine Drive-Vytilla-Infopark-Nedumbassery waterway becomes a reality, it will take only 35 minutes to reach Nedumbassery.
The water resources department has already conducted a study on the feasibility of waterways in the city and had proposed a `150 crore project to develop them.

The Kerala Shipping and Inland Navigation Corporation (KSINC) said that they are looking into the possibilities of developing waterways in the city to ease the congestion on the roads

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/trial-run-kickstarts-waterway-project/212337-60-122.html

More low-floor buses by mid-January

100 more Thiru-Kochi buses by March 2012

The KSRTC's 20 non-AC low-floor buses meant for Kochi that are currently operating in Thiruvananthapuram are expected to reach the city by mid-January.

Reacting to the furore here over the buses operating in the State capital instead of Kochi, the officer in charge of the agency's low-floor buses in the city Antony V.X. said that permits have been sought from the Ernakulam Regional Transport Office for these buses. “These brand new buses are plying in Thiruvananthapuram in the place of the buses withdrawn from there for Sabarimala services,” he said.

Currently, 42 AC and 77 non-AC buses purchased under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission scheme are plying in Kochi, in the place of the 50 and 120 buses respectively sanctioned for the city. Of the 20 non-AC low-floor buses that would arrive in Kochi from Thiruvananthapuram, six would ply Vytilla-Vytilla circular services, three each in the clockwise and anti-clockwise direction. This would enable commuters to get a bus from any part of the city to Vytilla every five minutes. The 14 other buses would ply to Angamaly, Paravur, Muvattupuzha etc.

Aimed at increasing passenger patronage, the RTC would soon release copies of the time card of all low-floor buses operating in the city so that commuters would know the time when each bus would reach a stop. The agency is yet to issue season tickets for these high-value buses, most of which are yet to achieve break-even status.

Mr. Antony said that 100 more Thiru-Kochi buses are expected to join the existing fleet in Kochi by March 2012. There is shortage of drivers because of delay in PSC appointments and resignations. Many drivers who were recruited on daily wages are irregular for duty.

On the long-pending demand that the KSRTC ply a few buses in different routes from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. within the city when the public transport is as good as nil, the District Transport Officer K.C. Venugopal said that this has to be looked into. More personnel and a new shift are needed.

Residents' protest

The move to transfer more than 20 buses of the KSRTC allotted to the city service here to Thiruvananthapuram for the Sabarimala pilgrimage season can never be justified, said the Ponnurunni regional committee meeting of the Residents' Apex Council Ernakulam (RACE). Chief Minister and ministers from the district should intervene to repeal the decision at the earliest.
The KSRTC should also start operating night services in the city, the meeting observed.http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article2719576.ece

Report on waterway in a month

District Collector P.I. Sheikh Pareed has said that a draft report on the proposed Kochi-Nedumbassery waterway will be prepared within a month.

The Marine Drive-Infopark-Kadamprayar stretch will be readied within six months as soon as the government gives its nod to the project. As a prelude to the project, a trial run from the Infopark jetty to the Kadamprayar Eco Tourism Terminal was held on Thursday. The Collector was joined in the ride by Benny Behanan, MLA, Thrikkakara municipal chairman P.I. Mohammadali, and media persons.

The project is expected to cost about Rs. 5 crore.

The proposed waterway is expected to earn Kakkanad the reputation of a prominent tourism centre alongside its status as an ever-growing IT destination. On deploying jet boats, the distance between Marine Drive and Kadamprayar can be covered within 20 minutes. This type of boat service is possible at a much reduced depth from the water surface.

A proposal is afoot to clear slush and other obstructions along the waterway, using a modern American machine. The clearing activity, which would otherwise take months under traditional methods, can be completed within a few days using the Rs. 1.5-crore machine.

Mr. Mohammadali said that Thrikkakara municipality will be a partner in the development of the proposed path. A group led by V.P. Sajeendran, MLA, joined the party midway through the trial run. Both the MLAs pledged their support to make the proposed waterway a reality at the meeting held at the Tourism Terminal at Kadamprayar.http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article2719580.ece

I don't get it!!

I am able to trace a barely navigable stream till near Pukkattupady, but how are they going to connect it to Periyar to get to Nedumbassery?

The KSRTC's 20 non-AC low-floor buses meant for Kochi that are currently operating in Thiruvananthapuram are expected to reach the city by mid-January.
Reacting to the furore here over the buses operating in the State capital instead of Kochi, the officer in charge of the agency's low-floor buses in the city Antony V.X. said that permits have been sought from the Ernakulam Regional Transport Office for these buses. “These brand new buses are plying in Thiruvananthapuram in the place of the buses withdrawn from there for Sabarimala services,” he said.

Currently, 42 AC and 77 non-AC buses purchased under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission scheme are plying in Kochi, in the place of the 50 and 120 buses respectively sanctioned for the city. Of the 20 non-AC low-floor buses that would arrive in Kochi from Thiruvananthapuram, six would ply Vytilla-Vytilla circular services, three each in the clockwise and anti-clockwise direction. This would enable commuters to get a bus from any part of the city to Vytilla every five minutes. The 14 other buses would ply to Angamaly, Paravur, Muvattupuzha etc.

Aimed at increasing passenger patronage, the RTC would soon release copies of the time card of all low-floor buses operating in the city so that commuters would know the time when each bus would reach a stop. The agency is yet to issue season tickets for these high-value buses, most of which are yet to achieve break-even status.

Mr. Antony said that 100 more Thiru-Kochi buses are expected to join the existing fleet in Kochi by March 2012. There is shortage of drivers because of delay in PSC appointments and resignations. Many drivers who were recruited on daily wages are irregular for duty.

On the long-pending demand that the KSRTC ply a few buses in different routes from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. within the city when the public transport is as good as nil, the District Transport Officer K.C. Venugopal said that this has to be looked into. More personnel and a new shift are needed.

Residents' protest
The move to transfer more than 20 buses of the KSRTC allotted to the city service here to Thiruvananthapuram for the Sabarimala pilgrimage season can never be justified, said the Ponnurunni regional committee meeting of the Residents' Apex Council Ernakulam (RACE). Chief Minister and ministers from the district should intervene to repeal the decision at the earliest. The KSRTC should also start operating night services in the city, the meeting observed.


http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Kochi/article2720231.ece

I don't get it!!

I am able to trace a barely navigable stream till near Pukkattupady, but how are they going to connect it to Periyar to get to Nedumbassery?

I am not sure with the terrain of that area. Going thro' Google Maps, A small canal goes on from Pukkattupady upto Vazhakulam Canal Road, which can be interconnected with a canal passing right near to AVT Comicks Industries. Barely 2 Kms of new canal needed to be constructed in this stretch, if this is the alignment.... If so, the canal in front of AVT Comicks, connects to Periyar within 3 Kms and its barely another 2 to 3 Kms to reach CIAL.....

I am not sure, how wide is the canal, but from Maps, its average.... Well a widen canal is also useful for Agriculture as these areas are primary agricultural belts and helps in irrigation too....

I know that region very well. It is en-route to my village.

The canal you see is the Periyar Valley canal. It is at a higher level than the streams, so a direct interconnection won't be possible.

Also, the streams are hardly 4M wide and a couple of feet deep. They can't support boats.

Finally, you can't drive a jetboat in narrow streams.

So, either Mr. Pareeth lost his mind, OR, we misunderstood the project.

chowara,kanjoor area near to CIAL has some water stream(canal?) linking with periyar know?

^^There is a stream linking the airport land to the river at the east end. So, if you can reach the river, you can get to the airport. The problem is linking Kadambrayar to Periyar.

It is really a question of watershed. There is a strip of elevated land between Aluva and Perumbavoor. Water to the north flows to Periyar, and water to the south flows to Kadambrayar. There may be a place where you can interlink these two systems, but it is not obvious from the satellite imagery.

Don't know why they are even looking at the Kadambiryar.

Even a cursory glance at the map of Kochi would reveal that the easiest way to reach Nedumbassey by water from Ernakulam is via Pachalam - Chittoor - Cherannalur - Eroor, and then the Periyar through Alwaye.

and in any case rather than pursue such hair-splitting schemes, Mr Pareeth would do well to put in order the Ernakulam - West Kochi ferry service first, where the only work required is purchasing a few additional boats and drawing up a proper time table. That in itself would take a considerable number of busses off the roads and decongest the city, besides save tons of fuel.

^^

+1

Don't know why they are even looking at the Kadambiryar.

Even a cursory glance at the map of Kochi would reveal that the easiest way to reach Nedumbassey by water from Ernakulam is via Pachalam - Chittoor - Cherannalur - Eroor, and then the Periyar through Alwaye.

and in any case rather than pursue such hair-splitting schemes, Mr Pareeth would do well to put in order the Ernakulam - West Kochi ferry service first, where the only work required is purchasing a few additional boats and drawing up a proper time table. That in itself would take a considerable number of busses off the roads and decongest the city, besides save tons of fuel.

That was the route which was first proposed for Airport-Seaport Waterway connectivity. But it was strongly opposed by natives, environmentalists and even Water Authority, as the boats have to ply in Kochi's biggest drinking water source- Periyar and boats would pollute it... Moreover, dredging is required in few places, especially at the Chitoor area, where Periyar meets Kochi Channel of Arabian Sea.... There is a height difference and dredging could increase chances of sea water mixing with river water during high tides.....

Following the protests, the route was abandon.... So the second alternate route is this one....

The Kochi-West Kochi-Goshree route boats will be operational in another 2-3 months, I believe... Tenders for new boats have gone out, to connect various jetties in Fort Kochi-Mattancherry Islands with Ernakulam and Goshree points....

Water, rail or road, the ticket to ride will be here (http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-propertyplus/article2722146.ece) :cheers:
Clogged arteries can kill, whether of the body or of a city. Every day, narrow roads and disorderly vehicular movement create traffic blocks, causing heartache to the urban populace.

A multi-modal transport system is the solution, but setting up one is easier said than done. But the Vyttila Mobility Hub in Kochi may change the rules of the game when all its phases are completed in a matter of three years.

While the automobile boom is considered an indicator of industrial growth, people increasingly adopt personalised modes of transport. The resultant chaos on the roads means quality of life takes a dip. This and the inadequate surface transport system in Kochi — worse than in many places in Kerala — are letting down this promising industrial, educational, medical, and tourism destination.

Streamlining traffic in the city is no easy task. Yet, the hub, considered the first such in India, with bus, train, and boat services set for launch from one centre, plans to achieve that.

M. Beena, Managing Director of the Vyttila Mobility Hub governing body and former District Collector, Ernakulam, is enthusiastic about the prospects of the hub. “The project has taken off without many problems,” she says.

The first phase was completed on schedule. While the project took shape in minimum time once the sanctions were received, more and more buses are being routed through the hub in a planned way. Apart from Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) buses, which have started operations from the hub, those of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are set for launch.

The booking counters for the inter-State buses are being readied, Ms. Beena says. One of the striking features of the second phase of the project will be three boat jetties to connect to the waterways. The jetties will open up immense opportunities for utilising Kochi's potential as a place bound by waterbodies. The government is looking afresh at measures to promote water transport to decongest roads.

Another component of the second phase will be a two-level basement parking area for buses. “The parking facility will be a big boon to the buses,” Ms. Beena says, pointing out that much of today's transportation issues can be traced to a lack of parking space.

A fuelling station of the KSRTC and a dormitory for workers will be constructed in the second phase. Commercial utilisation of space is under consideration.

The Kochi Metro Rail will have a station at the hub. The possibility of providing halts for trains at a point near the hub is being explored, as the Ernakulam-Thiruvananthapuram railway line is only a few hundred metres away. The entire project is estimated at around Rs.400 crore.

A consortium of banks is engaged in formulating the funding guidelines.

Fast growth

The factors that led to the creation of the hub are interesting and can set the pattern for similar projects elsewhere in the country. Kochi is one of the fastest growing Tier-2 cities in the country. The population in the Corporation area is expected to grow 10 per cent every decade and in the remaining areas of the urban agglomeration, 19 per cent.

The city alone accounts for 40 per cent of the urban population in Ernakulam district. But 16 per cent of its roads have carriageways less than 3 metres wide, while 70 per cent have single or double lanes with carriageways of widths 3.5 metres to 8.5 metres. The remaining 14 per cent has three or four lanes with shoulders. The average speed during peak hours on 66 per cent of the important roads in the city is less than 16 kmph, hub authorities say.

The significance of the hub lies in the fact that the existing public transport system in the city consists of buses, mainly run by private operators. Nearly 630 city buses operate on over 150 routes originating at 60 locations a day. Over 1,000 long-haul mofussil buses enter the city roads.

The KSRTC's inter-city bus terminal, which operates over 450 buses in 750 daily trips, is in the heart of the city. Approximately 40,000 passengers access it daily, the hub authorities say. The KSRTC is expected to save Rs.1.7 crore and the private bus owners Rs.1.2 crore on diesel a year by routing the services through the hub, say studies conducted on the viability of the project.

The hub is expected to be a gateway to Kochi, as it connects places such as Alappuzha, Idukki, Kottayam, Thrissur, and Coimbatore through National Highway 47 and offers connectivity to National Highways 17 and 49. The seaport and the airport are approximately 25 km from the site. National Waterway 3, near the site, connects Kollam and Kottapuram.

Perhaps, the most important facet of the hub is the convenience it will provide to commuters and the number of man hours saved. Time saved can be devoted to constructive activities and the benefits will be countless. The quality of life will move up, a win-win situation for all.

That was the route which was first proposed for Airport-Seaport Waterway connectivity. But it was strongly opposed by natives, environmentalists and even Water Authority, as the boats have to ply in Kochi's biggest drinking water source- Periyar and boats would pollute it... Moreover, dredging is required in few places, especially at the Chitoor area, where Periyar meets Kochi Channel of Arabian Sea.... There is a height difference and dredging could increase chances of sea water mixing with river water during high tides.....

The KWA has a valid point regarding pollution affecting the Alwaye water works.

However, barges do regularly ply between FACT and Willingdon Island via Chittoor and the height difference there does not affect them.

Traffic-i-cop to be used in other states (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/Traffic-i-cop-to-be-used-in-other-states/articleshow/11162836.cms)
PUNE: Traffic-i-cop, the system that helped the city police in the search for stolen vehicles and traffic offenders, is set to be implemented in other cities like Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Kolkata and Cochin to name a few.

Developed by some 30-odd city-based developers, the system has recently won the 'Best innovative project/technological application' by the Ministry of Urban Development last week.

The application was developed for Blackberry system, and as a pilot project, it was implemented in Pune city for almost 13 months. After positive feedback, the state government is now working on adopting the application as full-time network for their officials.

Amit Shitole, director of Omni Bridge Systems Pvt. Ltd, developer of the system, said, "Some 30-odd engineers are developing systems for these cities as per their requirement. The traffic rule is a state issue; hence we have to make some changes as per the rules and requirement of the state officials. Some tweaks are required for all the clients and the company is modifying the system accordingly."

Hitesh Shah, director, Commercial Relationship India of Research In Motion (RIM), the producers of the Blackberry handsets, said, "This application is purely developed for Blackberry platform. Right now Kolkata and states like Assam, Punjab and Gujarat have asked us for the implementation of this system in their cities. We are already in talks with the Pune police, RTO and other officials. Work is underway to update the system and removing whatever shortcoming there might be."

"The development works of the system for cities is at various stage and we are also in talks with state officials for some other cities who have shown interest in the application," he added.

Kochi will host country's first GPS based Automated Transport System. Project cost: 20 lakhs.

Source : Mathrubhumi (http://www.mathrubhumi.com/auto/story.php?id=239475)

Automated transport system for Kochi

Kochi is all set to become the first city with automated transport system in the country. District Collector P I Sheik Pareeth said that a concrete plan in this regard will be drawn up by January.

The system is intended to help those who come to the city in vehicles. The activated general packet radio service (GPRS) system will give instructions to the newcomers to the city. An outlay of Rs 20 lakh has been earmarked for the purpose.

Pareeth said that the district administration is planning to implement the project with suitable commercial and industrial participation. “Three companies have expressed their interest to finance the project. A suitable decision will be taken after analysing all the aspects of the proposal,” said Pareeth. As the first phase, the automated transport system will be implemented in ten cities. “We are planning to implement the project in Kochi before Bangalore, which is also making efforts to implement the system," he said.
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/automated-transport-system-for-kochi/214687-60-122.html

New boat service in Kochi

Minister for Ports and Excise K. Babu launched the ferry services linking Willingdon and Vallarpadam Islands on Monday. Port Trust Chairman Paul Antoney and Deputy Chairman G. Krishnakumar were among those present on the occasion.

The new ferry service is being launched jointly by Cochin Port Trust, DP World, operating the International Container Transshipment Terminal and Cochin Customs House Agents' Association, said a press release .http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article2751017.ece

New boat service in Kochi

വല്ലാര്പാടം -ഐലന്റ് ബോട്ട് സര്വീസ് തുടങ്ങി (http://www.mathrubhumi.com/ernakulam/news/1359079-local_news-mattancheri-മട്ടാഞ്ചേരി.html)
വല്ലാര്പാടം കണ്ടെയ്നര്* ടെര്*മിനലിനെ പഴയ കൊച്ചി തുറമുഖവുമായി ബന്ധിപ്പിക്കുന്ന ബോട്ട് സര്വീസിന് തുടക്കമായി.

വില്ലിംഗ്ടണ് ഐലന്റില് നടന്ന ചടങ്ങില് തുറമുഖ മന്ത്രി കെ. ബാബു സര്വീസ് ഉദ്ഘാടനം ചെയ്തു.

ഐലന്റ് നോര്ത്ത് എന്ഡിലെ ബാഗേജ് ജെട്ടിയേയും വല്ലാര്പാടം ടെര്മിനലിന്റെ പടിഞ്ഞാറുഭാഗത്ത് ഗോശ്രീ പാലത്തോട് ചേര്ന്നുള്ള ജെട്ടിയേയും ബന്ധിപ്പിച്ചുകൊണ്ടുള്ള സര്വീസ് പൊതുജനങ്ങള്ക്കും പ്രയോജനപ്പെടുത്താം.

15 മിനിറ്റ് കൊണ്ട് യാത്ര പൂര്ത്തിയാക്കാവുന്ന വിധത്തിലാണ് സജ്ജീകരണം. രാവിലെ എട്ടുമുതല് രാത്രി എട്ടുവരെ 16 സര്വീസുകളുമുണ്ടാകും അഞ്ചുരൂപയാണ് ടിക്കറ്റ് നിരക്ക്.

കൊച്ചി തുറമുഖത്ത് നിന്ന് വല്ലാര്പാടത്തേക്ക് എത്തുന്നതിന് സമയനഷ്ടമുണ്ടാകുന്നതായി തുറമുഖ അനുബന്ധ തൊഴിലാളികളില് നിന്ന് പരാതികള് ഉയര്ന്ന സാഹചര്യത്തിലാണ് ബോട്ട് സര്വീസ് തുടങ്ങിയത്.

തുറമുഖ ട്രസ്റ്റും കസ്റ്റം ഹൗസ് ഏജന്റ്സ് അസോസിയേഷനും ദുബായ് പോര്ട്ട് വേള്ഡും ചേര്ന്നാണ് സര്വീസ് ഒരുക്കിയിട്ടുള്ളത്. ഉദ്ഘാടന ചടങ്ങില് പോര്ട്ട് ട്രസ്റ്റ് ചെയര്മാന് പോള് ആന്റണി, ഡെപ്യൂട്ടി ചെയര്മാന് ജി. കൃഷ്ണകുമാര്, ലേബര് ട്രസ്റ്റിമാരായ പി.എം. മുഹമ്മദ് ഹനീഫ, സി.ഡി. നന്ദകുമാര് എന്നിവരും പങ്കെടുത്തു.

Auto drivers to get ID cards (http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/kochi/auto-drivers-get-id-cards-727)
In a major initiative aimed at cutting down on crimes, the Kochi police is all set to roll out ID cards for auto rickshaw drivers in the city, an exercise through which it aims to zero down on criminals among them.

The move is in wake of the rising number of complaints by the passengers against the city auto drivers. The police had received complaints that a few auto drivers have been threatening the passengers for more money, after running without fare metres.

“The ID cards will be initiated as a measure to curb passenger complaints that were arising against many auto rickshaw drivers in the city,” said the district collector Mr PI Sheikh Pareeth. “The move will help the police to revoke the taxi permits issued to the criminal auto rickshaw drivers.

This will be a joint venture by the district administration, police and the motor vehicle officials,” he added. The collector will meet the city police commissioner Mr M.R. Ajith Kumar, Regional Transport Officer Mr T.J. Thomas and different motor vehicle unions next week to discuss the viability of the programme. The ID cards will be issued from January.

The concept of issuing ID cards to auto drivers was being experimented at many cities, including Pune.

“The use of ID cards aims at making the system more structured for the traffic police department to track the auto drivers with their respective auto-stands, receive passenger complaints and avoid criminal offenders, Mr Pareeth said.

Kochi - Frankfurt to begin with, connection flights to UK/US from Frankfurt.

Link : Source (http://malayalam.deepikaglobal.com/CAT2_sub.asp?ccode=CAT2&newscode=194689)

Kochi metro: Central nod may be further delayed


The hope of Kochi metro rail project getting the Central government approval by the year end has died with the authorities stating that there will be further delay in holding discussions.

According to Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) managing director Tom Jose, the Planning and Investment Board (PIB) meeting will be held only by the second week of January. "The project will come before the Union Cabinet for approval only after getting the PIB nod," he said.

KMRL had expected to get all the required sanctions by this year end. Following discussions with the Planning Commission, an appraisal note was prepared. On November 8, a pre-PIB meeting was held and the proposal was referred to the Department of Expenditure under the Ministry of Finance for holding PIB meeting.

But with the Mullaperiyar dam issue taking centre stage, the state government, which had taken an active interest in pushing the metro project, has been dragging its feet. Officials associated with metro rail said the state government was not keen on taking up both the projects simultaneously.

"While Kerala is demanding a new dam at Mullaperiyar, it is considered inappropriate to pressure the Centre to sanction the Kochi metro rail," said a senior official.

Meanwhile, district collector P I Sheik Pareeth is preparing to inspect the Maharaja's College ground for setting up a metro station in the vicinity. It is also proposed to provide parking space at the ground. The collector is expected to hold discussions with the college authorities regarding land acquisition for the project.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/Kochi-metro-Central-nod-may-be-further-delayed/articleshow/11271801.cms

^^

"While Kerala is demanding a new dam at Mullaperiyar, it is considered inappropriate to pressure the Centre to sanction the Kochi metro rail," said a senior official.

I was expecting this delay, of course with the same reason!

Traffic chaos in city from Thursday

The traffic movement in the city will worsen for three days from Thursday with the Railways requesting the police to close down the Pachalam railway gate for maintenance work. In that case, the authorities will have no option other than to divert the traffic through Pullepady bridge or open North ROB for three days. With the rising New Year rush, the entire traffic flow will go haywire with the closing of the gate.

Railway officials told Express that the Pachalam gate was in a dilapidated condition and requires urgent repair work. “We have informed the police and traffic authorities about the changes. They are yet to respond. But, the gate will be closed anyway,” an official said.

At present, all vehicles other than buses and cars bound for Kaloor and Edappally are diverted from the High Court Junction through the Mathai Manjooran Road. Many turn left at Kacheripady and go through the Chittoor Road via Ayyappankavu.

After reaching Kattunkal temple near Pachalam railway gate, most vehicles take right turn through Pachalam-Pottakkuzhi Road to Pottakkuzhi. From Pottakuzhi, they turn left and take Elamakkara Road to reach Edappally or take a right turn to reach Kaloor.

But, with the closing of the gate, the only option will be to divert the entire two and three-wheeler vehicles through the Pullapady bridge. The vehicles will have to ply another five km through the bridge to reach Vaduthala and Elamakkara areas. But, vehicular movement will be difficult as roads are not wide enough for heavy traffic. Another major crisis will be that the tankers plying through the Pachalam gate will have to rely on Kacheripady-Kaloor route to reach Edappally.

When Express enquired about the remedial measures, the traffic authorities said that they had just received the information regarding the closure of gate and no alternative measures had been planned yet.

“We have been informed that the railway gate will be closed. We are looking for an alternative. At present, we have no remedial measure other than to rely on the Pullapady bridge,” a traffic police official said.http://expressbuzz.com/cities/kochi/traffic-chaos-in-city-from-thursday/347503.html

Nizamuddin-Ernakulam special trains (http://ibnlive.in.com/news/nizamuddinernakulam-special-trains/216015-60-122.html)
In order to clear the extra rush of passengers during the winter season the railways will run special trains in the Nizamuddin-Ernakulam sector. Train no.04014 Nizamuddin-Ernakulam Weekly Superfast will leave Hazrat Nizamuddin on December 28 and January 4 (Wednesdays) at 9.35 pm and arrive at Ernakulam Junction at 4.30 pm on Fridays. In the return direction Train no 04013 Ernakulam - Nizamuddin Weekly Superfast will leave Ernakulam at 11 pm on December 31 and January 7 (Saturdays). These trains will reach Nizamuddin at 7.30 pm on Mondays. The composition of the train will be 1 AC 2-tier, 2 AC 3-tier, 12 sleeper class, 5 general,a pantry car and 2 luggage-cum-brake van coaches.
The trains will have stoppages at Aluva, Thrissur, Shoranur, Kuttipuram, Tirur, Kozhikode, Vadakara, Thalassery, Kannur, Payyannur, Kanhangad, Kasargod, Mangalore Jn, Uduppi, Karwar, Madgoan, Thivim, Ratnagiri, Roha, Panvel, Vasai Road, Vapi, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Godhra, Dahod, Ratlam, Kota and Mathura. Train no 04014 Nizamuddin - Ernakulam Superfast will have stoppage at Ernakulam Town also. Advance reservation for the above trains will commence on December 29

In order to promote tourism and passenger service in Ernakulam, the Kerala State Water Transport Department (KSWTD) will soon introduce the concept of a tourism-cum-passenger boat service in Ernakulam.

According to the proposal, the boat service is expected to connect the islands of Vypeen, Fort Kochi, Mulavukad, Mattancherry and Willingdon Island giving the tourists a feel of the backwaters of Kochi as well as a chance to travel at a cheaper cost.

“Such a tourist boat operated under the KSWTD is an opportunity to travel at cheaper rates for both the passengers and the tourists. It could mostly benefit the local tourists. There is also a concept to introduce a snack bar at the lower deck so that people can have access to food and soft drinks,” said Joseph Xavier, KSWTD superintendent, Kochi.

Even daily passengers can use this service. They can board and get off at various boat jetties in Ernakulam.

“The duration of a trip is two-and-a-half hours. Four boats will conduct eight services every day. The concept will be a huge success in Ernakulam. We are confident that it will help tourists and passengers alike,” Shaji said. According to officials, if the proposal realises, it will help reduce the problems that the water transport sector in Kochi is facing.

“At present, the boats operating under the KSWTD are often crowded as both the tourists and the daily passengers depend on a few available boat services,” Joseph Xavier said.

The KSWTD is at present running such a concept boat in the Alappuzha-Kollam sector, which have fetched a huge profit for the department as well as boosting the tourism potential there.

“We are set to introduce similar concept boats in the Kuttanad region by January. The fare will be `300 per head. It will give the tourists an opportunity to view the Punnamada lake and other archeological sites,” Shaji said.

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/kswtd-to-launch-tourismcumpassenger-boats/216824-60-122.html

Why long distance private buses (night service) bound to Kannur and Wayanad areas still using the same old Kaloor bus stand?

^^Do you think you can reach vyttila easly from anywhere after 8.30 pm? :ohno: