Vyttila Mobility Hub | Public Transit Development

[Malayaali]

Originally Posted by binaiks

Very true. Its high time they go for a full revamp of the City bus permits. Kochi needs to have a hub-and-spoke model - a city bus system based out of Kaloor and Vyttila - Kaloor taking care of the intra-city routes, and Vyttila taking care of suburban routes.

Exactly. City routes (includes Alwaye-Kakkanad-Tripunithura-Parur-Chittoor-Cheranallur-Fort Kochi/Mattanchery-Eloor-Nettoor) based from Kaloor (terminal to be revamped).

Suburban routes (Poothotta-Kothamangalam-Angamaly-Cherthala-Kodungallur-Piravom) from VMH.

Spokes @ Aluva, Tripunithura, Kakkanad, Nettoor, Chittoor, F.Kochi

All inter-city routes should operate from VMH including KSRTC (KSRTC intracity routes from South & VMH).

I feel/hope the buses will touch South RS once DMRC completes the road development.

[Malayaali]

Vytilla Bus Terminal



Is this design shown in the video being worked out now? If so where does the current waiting sheds go in the design shown here?

[dhanesh2k]

Inadequacy of KSRTC buses at Vytilla hub causes concern

There is concern at the inadequate number of the KSRTC buses calling at the Vytilla bus terminal-cum-mobility hub in between 8 p.m. and early in the morning. This is reportedly because of the delay by the agency's head office in approving the route diversion of 33 long-distance buses through the hub during night and early morning. The buses now ply through the conventional national highway route via Thoppumpady. The agency's zonal office here had forwarded the list of 33 buses to the head office, over a month ago.

In the meanwhile, the District Transport Officer K.C. Venugopal said, the RTC's station master office would soon be inaugurated at the hub. “More low-floor buses from the Goshree islands would ply to the hub.”
Buses can be stationed at the Vytilla hub once the garage and fuel station are readied here.
The RTC's Thevara depot is being developed to become a base for city buses. This is because there is acute congestion at the Ernakulam bus stand after 8 p.m., when a total of 153 buses come here to berth, he said.
The Vytilla Mobility Hub Society is in the process of sorting applications received to open kiosks at the hub.

It has received dozens of applications to open ATMs, lottery vends, cell phone shops etc., in the premises. “The eligible people would be shortlisted through a transparent process,” said the society's managing director, M. Beena. A regular committee meeting of the society was held on Thursday.

It is readying parking space for 40 cars in the hub where a pay-and-park has been envisaged. It is also scrutinizing the 18 applications that it received for constructing phase two of the hub.

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper...cle2719577.ece

[mohammedirshad06]

Originally Posted by Malayaali

Vytilla Bus Terminal



Is this design shown in the video being worked out now? If so where does the current waiting sheds go in the design shown here?

No, this was old plans, which got changed to the following video



Towers were added to the new plan and city buses planned outside the terminal, like today, while only inter-city (Moffusil) and Inter-state buses inside the terminal, along with an underground pay-park and 3 storied commercial/shopping mall complex.

[dhanesh2k]

Empty liquor bottles dot the Hub

Empty liquor bottles, cigarette butts, vomit sprayed across the floor is slowly becoming a common sight at the comfort stations, especially during the night hours, in the Vytilla Mobility Hub. The contractors and cleaning people said that they are trying their best to keep the premises of the hub clean. Sadly, some of the passengers think that the comfort stations at the world class mobility hub is just another place to dump the waste.

According to the cleaners at the station, quite a few empty liquor bottles can be found in the toilets, especially during the night.

“At times, the bottles can be seen carelessly left in the station toilets. For some, it is a convenient drinking spot. The other day, two people were caught carrying a couple of bottles into the bathroom. This is becoming a common practice. We are trying our best to keep the toilets clean but we cannot ensure that people don’t indulge in such activities,” contractor Giri said.

According to the sources, people drink while escaping the attention of the security guards dispatched to the front of the comfort station. Cleaning people also complain that the smell of liquor and vomit usually pervades the station at times in the night.

For passengers, who avail the services of the toilet, the callous attitude of their fellow passengers is disgusting. Most of the discomfort they state is when they find the faucets of the toilets not in working condition.

The contractor said, “In the past few weeks, after we found the springs and the other equipment in the toilets removed, we were forced to purchase five new faucets and flushes for the toilets. From the attitude of some of the passengers, destroying the toilets seems to be just a timepass.”

“Also, cigarette butts stashed into the toilets in men’s bathrooms have become a common sight,” said M Beena, managing director of the mobility hub.

“We have received some complaints from the people that some passengers are callous and use the comfort station as a place for anti-social activities. We have stuck boards asking the people to be more careful and keep the bathrooms clean. When we find people not following the instructions, we fine them. Unless, they themselves feel the need to keep the premises clean, nothing much can be done,” Beena said.

http://expressbuzz.com/cities/kochi/...ub/344244.html

[Malayaali]

Inadequacy of KSRTC buses at Vytilla hub causes concern

There is concern at the inadequate number of the KSRTC buses calling at the Vytilla bus terminal-cum-mobility hub in between 8 p.m. and early in the morning. This is reportedly because of the delay by the agency's head office in approving the route diversion of 33 long-distance buses through the hub during night and early morning. The buses now ply through the conventional national highway route via Thoppumpady. The agency's zonal office here had forwarded the list of 33 buses to the head office, over a month ago.

In the meanwhile, the District Transport Officer K.C. Venugopal said, the RTC's station master office would soon be inaugurated at the hub. “More low-floor buses from the Goshree islands would ply to the hub.”

Buses can be stationed at the Vytilla hub once the garage and fuel station are readied here.

The RTC's Thevara depot is being developed to become a base for city buses. This is because there is acute congestion at the Ernakulam bus stand after 8 p.m., when a total of 153 buses come here to berth, he said.

The Vytilla Mobility Hub Society is in the process of sorting applications received to open kiosks at the hub.

It has received dozens of applications to open ATMs, lottery vends, cell phone shops etc., in the premises. “The eligible people would be shortlisted through a transparent process,” said the society's managing director, M. Beena. A regular committee meeting of the society was held on Thursday.

It is readying parking space for 40 cars in the hub where a pay-and-park has been envisaged. It is also scrutinizing the 18 applications that it received for constructing phase two of the hub.

[dhanesh2k]

Hub’s facility is ready, but not the Minister

Two months after its construction, the facility meant to host the KSRTC office and the Road Safety Cell of the Motor Vehicles Department at Vyttila Mobility Hub remains unoccupied. The Mobility Hub Society and KSRTC officials state that the inauguration is being delayed owing to the unavailability of the Transport Minister.

The facility is 470-sq feet and ready to be occupied anytime.

“The facility was supposed to be inaugurated by Transport Minister V S Sivakumar on December 9. It was postponed to December 17 as the minister was busy with the Mullaperiyar issue. Later, the function was cancelled as the minister was unavailable,” said an official with the KSRTC.

He added that the Mobility Hub Society officials had said that they would arrange for the inauguration as soon as the minister was available. However, the hub officials passed the buck stating that the KSRTC was reluctant to occupy the facility before inauguration.

“The KSRTC officials feel that the facility should be occupied only after its official inauguration. We had asked them to start functioning at the office cabin when the inauguration got delayed,” said M Beena, Managing director, Vyttila Mobility Hub Society.

Currently, the KSRTC staff at the hub, consisting of a controlling inspector and two station masters, work at a make-shift counter in front of the cabin.

The facility was designed to accommodate a KSRTC enquiry counter, an office cabin for the KSRTC controlling inspector and station master and an office for a motor vehicle inspector.

Officials with the Motor Vehicle Department said that the Road Safety Cell of the department at the Vyttilla Mobility Hub would act as a monitoring cell of the vehicles at the Mobility hub.

"The office will function to ensure that all the rules pertaining to the buses are adhered to. A Motor Vehicle inspector will be posted at the place. He will be reporting to the regional Motor Vehicles Department. This facility will help to keep an updated record of the vehicles using the Mobility Hub," said T J Thomas, Regional Transport Officer, Kochi.

http://expressbuzz.com/cities/kochi/...er/345094.html

[Malayaali]

Originally Posted by dhanesh2k

“The KSRTC officials feel that the facility should be occupied only after its official inauguration. We had asked them to start functioning at the office cabin when the inauguration got delayed,” said M Beena, Managing director, Vyttila Mobility Hub Society.

These system of rules should be ceased. Why can't a project start soon after its completion? Why wait for someone to cut the ribbon!

[mohammedirshad06]

Originally Posted by Malayaali

These system of rules should be ceased. Why can't a project start soon after its completion? Why wait for someone to cut the ribbon!

Name plaque is something very important in this world..... Even in democractic world, the Aluva Bridge is known after current Maharaja of Travancore- Marthanda Varma, because he opened this when he was Crown Prince and the name plaque still stands, keeping his name immortal.... If Kings like this, why not poor People's representatives....

We all saw how Air India MRO opened just on eve of Valayar Ravi's exit from Rajiv Bhavan.... Now, for time immortal, that name plaque will remain and his name will be enshrined in history.... Perhaps the controversies and politics behind it will die and not known for future generations, but the name remains which is heroic

[Malayaali]

They can inaugurate and give announcements whenever needed. I was saying about a silent start!

[Malayaali]

A humble bus stand turns into hub of an integrated transport network

It began as a civic plan: a bus stand that would ease traffic congestion in the city of Kochi. Today, it is on the way to becoming a mega project integrating road, rail and water transport.

The Kochi Mobility Hub, locally known as Vyttila mobility hub, has ended up being designed not only as an integrated transportation terminal but also as a key business centre, the commercial space spanning 5 lakh square feet. The total project spans 25.19 acres of land, handed over to the project by the state agriculture department.

“The idea of a bus stand had come up over a decade ago from local people for decongesting Kochi’s roads. However, the project evolved into a mobility hub for three modes of transportation after the detailed project report was prepared,’’ said Dr M Beena, IAS, managing director of the mobility hub.

Buses started operating on June 1 from 13 bays, each accommodating five. The hub now caters to 780 buses, including city and long-distance ones, with up to 500 using the terminal an hour, a capacity that will go up to 2,000 after the completion of the second phase, targeted for March 2014. Comfort stations and eateries too have been opened on the complex.

Generally, bus terminals in Kerala are constructed by local bodies and have bays for 20 to 50 buses and rooms for shops, rented out by the local body as an extra source of income. Kochi’s Mobility Hub Society is registered as a charitable society, with the IAS officer as its managing director. The Chief Secretary is the ex-officio chairman of the governing body, while the Chief Minister is the patron and four other ministers are members.

Kochi, where national highways 47, 17 and 49 meet, is also part of National Waterway III. Water transport will come in the second phase. Three boat jetties, one for tourism and two for passenger traffic, will be constructed. The society will hand over the jetties to government and private agencies for operating their services connecting various parts of Kochi and nearby areas, across a network of several canals.

Also in the second phase, two underground basements will be developed for private vehicles to park. Besides, the ground and first floors of the main building will be converted into a bus parking facility.

The proposed commercial establishments will start from the second floor. “The society will lease out the area for commercial development. The hub will have a star hotel, multiplexes, swimming pools, food courts, health clubs, branded outlets and several other establishments,” said the MD.

To make it a rail hub too, the government has asked the Railways to allow trains to stop near the Vytilla mobility hub, which is only 100 metres from the Thiruvananthapuram-Shornur line. Once that is allowed, a corridor will be constructed to link the hub. The alignment of the proposed Kochi Metro, too, goes through the mobility hub.

Beena said the concept of the mobility hub as a meeting point of various modes of transportation was innovative. This is the first project in India where multi-modal transportation system has been integrated into a single platform, she said. Implementation in a time-bound manner was possible due to the flexibility in the functioning of the governing body, she added.

[jithuajayan]

Originally Posted by Malayaali

A humble bus stand turns into hub of an integrated transport network

13 bus bays? there are only 2 currently rite?

[binaiks]

Originally Posted by jithuajayan

13 bus bays? there are only 2 currently rite?

There are 13 bays already.. each bay can hold 4-6 buses.

[Malayaali]

The gateway to Kochi

Clogged arteries can kill, whether it is a body or 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. Vyttila Mobility Hub in Kochi may change the rules of the game when all its phases are completed in 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 that the 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.

Booking counters

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 water bodies. The government is looking at measures to promote water transport to decongest roads.

Another component 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 could 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 . 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 from 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, say hub authorities.

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 according to 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 hours saved. The quality of life will move up, a win-win situation for all.

[Malayaali]

Hub gets night buses

Ending months of stand-off over operating night services through Vyttila Mobility Hub, the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) is all set to operate 34 buses during night through the world-class bus terminal from next month.

“The order in this regard will most probably be out by January 30. It is expected to be officially announced by transport minister V.S. Sivakumar on January 6,” zonal officer Mr P.L. Jose told DC.

The decision was taken at a high-level meeting at Thiruvananthapuram on December 28 following the end of the Sabarimala mandala festival. Though the agency’s zonal office had forwarded the proposed list of buses for night services nearly two months ago, the decision was put off till now.

While the mobility hub society wanted commencement of the services at the earliest, KSRTC had expressed reservations, citing additional costs and fear of a drop in collection on conducting the night services through hub.

The services, mostly superfast buses besides three to four super expresses, will mostly be to Thiruvananthapuram (in the southern direction) and Thrissur (towards the north).

“Initially, we won’t be plying services to places like Kannur and Mangalapuram (towards the north) through the hub. This is because people travelling to farther places go to the depot and currently we don’t have the facility to transport them to the hub, say every 15 minutes,” Mr Jose said.

However, the officer admitted that slowly the entire superfast/express services will be rerouted through the hub.

“It will take time. Now we are getting passengers from hub during the
day and our collections are on the rise after the initial dip.”

Already, the buses towards eastern direction (Kottayam) enter the hub even in the night.

[binaiks]

KSRTC's Station Master Office and Enquiry Counter at the Vyttila Mobility Hub (KSRTC Information Centre) is being inaugurated by the Minister for Transport VS Sivakumar on January 06, 2012. KSRTC would begin night services through the hub on the same day - further details about services that would run via the hub is not available at the moment.

[Malayaali]

32 more buses to ply through Vyttila hub

The KSRTC would ply 32 long-distance buses through the Vyttila mobility hub from Friday (January 6) night, the Minister for Transport V.S. Sivakumar said. Of them, 16 would travel northwards of Kochi, while the rest would travel southward.

Mr. Sivakumar was speaking here on Friday after inaugurating the KSRTC's station master office and the Motor Vehicle Department's Road Safety Cell at the Vyttila Mobility Hub. He said that Kochi would get a good share of the 1,000 buses that the RTC intends to add to the fleet in a month's time. The agency was able to record an increase of Rs. 7 crore in the income during the past seven months. Steps have been taken to confirm the appointment of 3500 temporary personnel in the organisation. The possibility of introducing online reservation is also being probed.

The function also saw the release of ‘time cards' that have timings of the 42 Volvo buses that the RTC operates in the city. Different organizations had demanded that the RTC operate night services, since there is no intra-city bus service in Kochi between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m.

In his address, Minister for Excise K. Babu said that road safety should become an area of focus since accidents are increasing at an alarming rate. Apart from basic safety measures, rule enforcement too must be strengthened.

Hibi Eden and Dominic Presentation, MLAs, demanded more bus services from the city to suburban towns and also adequate number of buses in the city at night.

The others who spoke include the managing director of Vyttila Mobility Hub Society M. Beena, the KSRTC's general manager G. Venugopal and Mayor Tony Chammany.

[DileepKS]

He said that Kochi would get a good share of the 1,000 buses that the RTC intends to add to the fleet in a month's time.

നടന്നതു തന്നെ!! ഇങ്ങനെ ഉളുപ്പില്ലാതെ പച്ചക്കള്ളം പറയാനും വേണം ഒരു സ്പെഷ്യല്* ധൈര്യം!!

[KMC]

Originally Posted by DileepKS

നടന്നതു തന്നെ!! ഇങ്ങനെ ഉളുപ്പില്ലാതെ പച്ചക്കള്ളം പറയാനും വേണം ഒരു സ്പെഷ്യല്* ധൈര്യം!!

hopeless ..... they even took away buses running in kochi....

[mohammedirshad06]

Originally Posted by KMC

hopeless ..... they even took away buses running in kochi....

Its true, but there is a strong tug of war happening in the Govt..... 2 out of 3 ministers from Kochi (one passed away) are constantly there to push in, so I don't feel it won't happen.... Ofcourse it may be delayed.... We saw how hardly the minister tried to keep Hub out of 24 hour operations.... Yet it was forced to happen....

Now he appears to use another tatic, renovate old bus terminal into modern Transit and shopping terminal..... I don't understand the logic of two modern bus terminals in gap of less than 4 kms.....

If so, why can't such a terminal be planned in Aroor, which marks the southern border of Kochi and surely help interconnecting with West, South and Alleppey side..... Or upgrading of Paravur terminus, the northern border that interconnects North Kochi and Kodungallor....

The space at Rajaji road, can be used for a small city depot and rest given to Sports Department for enlarging Ambedkar Stadium..... But when Minister himself has ulterior designs presented in sweet coated offer, who else to challenge?