Kochi Metro - KOMET - updates

[kk2008]

Kochi Metro - Official Website

The first phase of the Kochi Metro includes a 27 kms long line connecting Aluva (erst. Alwaye) with Petta. Preliminary works for the metro's construction began in October 2011.


Route Map



Official Kochi Metro Map

[..devil..]

i dont think this will ever happen at least not before 2020.
kochi is not big enough - population wise - to warrant a metro.

[kk2008]

Extract from Hindu - http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/10/s...1053450400.htm

Policy decision on Kochi metro rail project sought

Special Correspondent

State delegation seeks Central funding for the project

Planning Commission team to arrive on Sunday

Panel had suggested private participation

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs M. Vijayakumar said here on Tuesday that the State had sought a policy decision by the Union government on Central funding for the Kochi metro rail project. A team of the Planning Commission would visit Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram on September 14 to study the issue.

The issue was raised by a six-member delegation led by Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan which met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia in Delhi last week. The Minister said that the State wanted the project to be taken up with funding from the Central and State governments and the Japanese Bank for International Cooperation. However, the Planning Commission suggested that it could be taken up on a public-private participation basis.

However, the delegation pointed out that this was not feasible in Kochi where land was scarce for large railway stations with commercial space. Hence, the commission’s decision to send a team to Kerala.

Mr. Vijayakumar proposed that the Thiruvananthapuram Bar Association and others who had joined the agitation for High Court Bench in Thiruvananthapuram should withdraw their satyagraha in front of the district court as the Prime Minister had entrusted the matter to the Law Ministry for an early decision. Earlier, the President had referred the communication from the Governor of Kerala favouring the Bench to the Law Ministry. The President could set up the Bench in consultation with the Governor and the Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court.

He said that the Prime Minister had also assured early clearance from the Shipping Ministry and the Cabinet Secretariat for the Vizhinjam International Transhipment Project. The security clearance for the project involved approvals from the External Affairs, Defence and Shipping ministries besides the Cabinet Secretariat.

Of these, the clearance of the External Affairs and Defence ministries had already been received.

[kk2008]

Another news Item this month about Kochi Metro -
http://www.livemint.com/2008/03/2800...ect-hangi.html



Kochi: The recent high-level official talks between the Kerala government and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) have once again infused hope for starting the proposed elevated Metro Rail Project for Kochi, which has been hanging fire for the past two years for various reasons.
The enthusiasm of the government and DMRC notwithstanding, numerous bottlenecks plague the project, which was expected to be an answer to the severe traffic congestion in the city, the commercial hub of the state.
The recent review of preliminary work on the project by the secretary in the Union Urban Development Ministry, M. Ramachandran and assertion of Ernakulam District Collector, Dr M. Beena that land acquisition process will continue despite protests from some businessmen on the project alignment, has again shown that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
The project, which would have changed the face of Kochi, ran into trouble right from the beginning as some businessmen protested against the scheduled route of the metro line through the arterial Mahatma Gandhi road.
Ramachandran had then pointed out that a change of alignment was not feasible since it would steeply escalate the cost and further delay the project.
If work on the project had started in 2006, it would have been ready by 2009 at a cost of Rs2,239 crore.
The DMRC had submitted a detailed project report in July 2005, envisaging a 25.25km railway line connecting nearby Aluva and Pettah in the first stage and extending it to Tripunithura in the second phase.

[ImBoredNow]

I think TVM should get the metro first in Kerala.

[deeguy07]

Originally Posted by ImBoredNow

I think TVM should get the metro first in Kerala.

A feasibility study revealed that none of the routes in Trivandrum had sufficient passengers to run a Metro service.. And the plan for TVM was dropped out.. And it is obvious, when Coimbatore which is bigger than TVM don't get a Metro, how would TVM get? It is not mandatory that every state capital must have one Metro.. It should be based on necessity..

http://www.thehindu.com/2006/10/20/s...2003290500.htm

[ImBoredNow]

I thought TVM had more people.
I guess not!

[kk2008]

More news on this - http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/23/s...2354480300.htm

Public-private partnership for metro rail mooted

Staff Reporter

KOCHI: The Union Planning Commission would suggest a public-private partnership (PPP) model for the implementation of the proposed Kochi metro project if the State government sought its opinion, Gajendra Haldia, Principal Advisor to the Deputy Chairman of the Commission, said.

He was talking to media persons here on Monday after prolonged discussions with various stakeholders of the proposed project. The three-member team from the Commission headed by Mr. Haldia is on a fact-finding mission to explore the scope of the project. The team will hold discussions with the Chief Minister on Tuesday on how to take the project forward.

“We will not make the suggestion formally but would give it if our opinion is sought in the course of the discussions. We don’t take a position favouring one model over another. Ultimately it is for the State government to decide whether to adopt the PPP model or the public sector model,” he said.

Mr. Haldia said that in the PPP model there were no disadvantages to the State and the people. Citing the benefits of adopting the PPP model, he said that if the major share of the investments would come from the private sector, the project would be completed in much shorter time and that the project would be operated more efficiently.

Mr. Haldia said that the Central government was prepared to give subsidy of up to 20 per cent of the capital cost if the project was under the PPP model.

If undertaken in the public sector alone the assistance would be a combination of grant and loan in the range of 15 to 25 per cent. “It would be 15 per cent grant and 10 per cent loan, but it is not well settled,” he said.

Hinting at another reason to opt for the PPP model, Mr. Haldia said that the Eleventh plan did not have provisions for projects like metro rail. “So the money is not there,” he said. Besides, so far the Central government had supported such projects from the metro cities alone. This was for the first time such a project came up from a non-metro city, he said.

He said that it was not possible to predict when the project would receive the final approval of the Planning Commission .

[kk2008]

Extracted again from Hindu - http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/21/s...2157830300.htm

Metro rail: officials to assess progress

Staff Reporter

Will meet the Chief Minister on Tuesday

Report to be submitted to the Planning Commisssion

District administration has sought the constitution of a special team to acquire land

KOCHI: A three-member team from the Planning Commission, which arrived in Kochi on Saturday evening to assess the proposed Kochi metro rail, is expected to submit a report to the Commission. The in-principle approval for the Central funding of the project will be based on this report.

The team comprising Gajendra Haldia, Principal Advisor to the Deputy Chairman of the Commission, S.K. Saha, Director, Secretariat for Committee on Infrastructure and Jitesh John, Senior Research Officer would meet the Chief Minister on Tuesday.
Joint venture

The Union Urban Development Ministry had proposed a joint venture between the Centre and State governments, with the rest of the money loaned from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation. “Such a joint venture would ensure that passengers pay only a reasonable fare. The mass rapid transport system will get a good ridership only if fares are kept low,” Union Urban Development secretary M. Ramachandran told The Hindu.

Once the team submits the report, an inter-ministerial committee comprising representatives from the Planning Commission and ministries concerned like the Urban Development Ministry and the Finance Ministry will take a look before the Union Cabinet decides on the project, he said.

Currently, all metro rail projects in major cities, except Hyderabad metro rail and a corridor of Mumbai metro, are joint ventures between the Centre and the respective State government.

Work is underway for metro rail in Bangalore and Kolkata, while the Chennai waits for a nod from the Centre.

The Urban Development Ministry and the State government had recommended light-metro rail for Kochi, as it was difficult to widen the existing roads.
Survey stones laid

As of now, survey stones have been laid for acquiring land to widen narrow road corridors and to build metro stations every kilometre, except along the MG Road where some merchants have objected the project.

The Revenue Department has forwarded to the State government a preliminary notification for acquiring land under the urgency clause. The district administration has requested permission from the government to constitute a dedicated team of officials to acquire land for the project.

[Ajaypp]

Originally Posted by deeguy07

A feasibility study revealed that none of the routes in Trivandrum had sufficient passengers to run a Metro service.. And the plan for TVM was dropped out.. And it is obvious, when Coimbatore which is bigger than TVM don't get a Metro, how would TVM get? It is not mandatory that every state capital must have one Metro.. It should be based on necessity..

http://www.thehindu.com/2006/10/20/s...2003290500.htm

Coimbatore with a city population of around 1.4 million is much bigger than Trivandrum with a population of 800,000 and Cochin with about 600,000 (2001 data). Much bigger cities like Ahmedabad and Indore are now implementing BRTS schemes, so it is pretty clear that there is very little feasibility for an expensive MRTS system in Kerala.

DMRC has in fact gone public many a time saying that MRTS is needed only when a city reaches a population of around 4 million, but they are keeping mum about those statements these days.

Trivandrum is now conducting a study called the Trivandrum Integrated Mass Transport System (TIMTS) , with World Bank funding and using international consultants to determine the way forward.

One also needs to consider that older studies in the city did not take landmark developments like Technocity - Kerala's largest IT park - or the Vizhinjam port - India's deepest and biggest container terminal - into account. The TIMTS study will do that and the scenario may change significantly.

As for this thread, I would suggest we keep monitoring developments post the Planning Commission having declined major Central funding and proposed a PPP model.

Hinting at another reason to opt for the PPP model, Mr. Haldia said that the Eleventh plan did not have provisions for projects like metro rail. “So the money is not there,” he said. Besides, so far the Central government had supported such projects from the metro cities alone. This was for the first time such a project came up from a non-metro city, he said.

He said that it was not possible to predict when the project would receive the final approval of the Planning Commission .

Perhaps they understand that expensive MRTS solutions are not economically viable in Tier II cities and may turn out to be potentially ruinous white elephants.

The ball is back in the State Government's court now and let's see what happens? Perhaps an improvement to the congested roads of Cochin may be a more feasible and quicker step to improving the traffic situation in the city till other options are worked out. Stay tuned!

[sudheeshnairs]

As per 200I census, Coimbatore Corporation is just a shade over 9 lakhs only, while TVM is about 8 lakhs, while Kochi is just 6 lakhs.

As per the 2008 estimates, the U/A population is about 1.6 lakhs, Kochi is also the same and TVM is 1.1 lakhs..

BTW all the cities are about the same size on a macro perspective, town planning etc are concerned.

And hope this is the end of city comparisons.

Trivandrum Metro Rail was also suggested by a study by KINFRA(Kerala Infrastructure Development Corporation) done through L& T Ramboll, along with Cochin Metro Rail in 2001. I had joined KINFRA that time as a Management Trainee after my MBA. Later the UDF Ministry which assumed charge didnot proceed with that.

Technically as per world standards, any city with a population of 1 million or more should have an MRTS. Please note that the world city Dubai is having a population of about 1.4 million only; and they are implementing a most modern Metro Rail.

Under Indian conditions, the exorbitant costs are the main deterrents in implementing a Metro Rail. And at present only in the city of Bangalore with about 7 million, there is some progress.

In the case of Kochi Metro, the planning commission has opined that it is more of a matter of state subject. If the State has the capability to go ahead, perhaps the centre will share a small portion. And with the fund constraints it could only be on a PPP model, unless we are some oil rich or a developed country. Under present conditions, I don't see a future for Kochi Metro.

[India101]

So if it is already u/c why dont we have any pics

An article about the project from project Monitor

A peep into sleek Kochi Metro project

PM News Bureau

The detailed project report, presented by DMRC, gives a peep into the future Kochi Metro Rail which will have sleek railway stations, state-of-the-art air-conditioned coaches, automatic fare collection system and high-speed travel.
The 27 km network from Aluva to Tripunithura will include halts at Edapally, Palarivattom, Kaloor, MG Road, Ernakulam Junction railway station, SA Road and Vyttila to reach Tripunithura. The rail will avoid major flyovers like Ernakulam Town railway flyover and take the service road on the flank.
The state government had signed up DMRC in 2004 as consultant. The work on the project will begin by 2006, and the rail will commence operations by 2011.
The Metro Rail is planned mostly as an elevated rail model that will not disrupt the existing road traffic. Around 25 km of the network will be elevated making the need for land acquisition minimum. The metro will be equipped with the most modern communication and train control system. The frequency of the trains will be every five minutes in peak hours, and eight minutes in non-peak hours. The entry and exit to metro stations are controlled by flap doors operated by smart cards and contactless tokens.
For the convenience of commuters, an adequate number of escalators will be installed at stations. Though there will not be a metro station right in front of Ernakulam Town railway station, a station will be set up in the vicinity. After completion, Kochi Metro is capable of carrying 3.5 lakh commuters daily by 2011.
The coaches will be narrower than the Delhi Metro ones and each train will carry four coaches. Perceiving future developments the station is built to accommodate seven coach trains.

Click here

[India101]

From The Hindu

KOCHI: The Government will soon be calling the Expression of Interest for the Metro Rail project in Kochi and global tenders will be floated early next month. Only the formal go-ahead note from the Union Urban Development Ministry is remaining.

The question now is about the preparedness of the city for such a mega project.

"Unless some action is taken to ease the traffic flow in the city, confusion, congestion and curses will come along with the Metro Rail construction work," said S. Balakrishnan, president of the Ernakulam District Residents' Associations Apex Council.

The Corporation Council is yet to take up the issue. "No councillor has expressed this anxiety and no complaint has been received from the public so far," said Mayor Mercy Williams.

"If the civic authorities do not take immediate steps to prepare for the rail project, it could become a victim of cost and time overruns of a high magnitude," said Mr. Balakrishnan.

A central corridor of seven to eight meters will be cordoned off on the entire route of the proposed line. That will leave only about five to six meters on either side.

"This will be a perfect recipe to road rages, traffic snarls and untold miseries," he said.

"The traffic congestion especially at North, Kacheripady, Madhav Pharmacy and all along MG Road that will last a few years is beyond anyone's imagination. The public will in no time get fed up and cry a halt to the project," he added.

He wondered whether the civic authorities were ready to take up their role with full responsibility. "It needs planning and deliberate implementation of certain steps which can minimise the agony," he said.

Click here

[EMP]

Delhi Metro Corporation to open office in city

Groundwork for the project soon, says Vijayakumar

State sanctions Rs. 50 lakh for office

Revision of the project cost sought


KOCHI: An office of the Delhi Metro Railway Corporation (DMRC) will be opened in Kochi as suggested by the corporation.

The State government has sanctioned Rs. 50 lakh for setting up the office and the groundwork for the project will be initiated soon, said M. Vijayakumar, Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs.

The office will be run by the officials of the DMRC.

The State government is hopeful that the Prime Minister would consider the Kochi project as a special case as requested by the State. The Planning Commission had suggested that the Kochi project should be implemented in the Private Public Participation (PPP) mode. However, there are apprehensions that the PPP model may not be commercially viable for Kochi, Mr. Vijayakumar said.

The government is of the view that the Kochi Metro project should be implemented along the lines of the Delhi project and this view was presented by Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan and Mr. Vijayakumar during a recent meeting with the Prime Minister.

“Only the Prime Minister can overrule the directives of the Planning Commission and we are hopeful that he will intervene on behalf of the State. The Prime Minister has not rejected the request so far and we hope that the State’s plea is still under his consideration”, Mr. Vijayakumar said.

The Bharat Earth Movers Limited which has been constructing the coaches for the DRMC for its metro railway projects, will soon set up a unit at Kanjikode. The fact that BEML is setting shop in Kerala will also prove helpful for the case of the State, he hoped.

Mr. Vijayakumar said there was no need for updating the detailed project report of the Kochi project.

However, the cost needs to be revised as the estimate was prepared considering the cost factors that prevailed last year, he said.
Source:- http://www.hindu.com/2009/01/21/stor...2157660100.htm

[kk2008]

Extracted from http://www.hindu.com/2009/02/08/stor...0859110300.htm


Location of Elamkulam metro rail station changed

Staff Reporter

Officials to carry out survey along Aluva-Pettah route

Station location shifted following protests

Plan panel nod awaited for metro rail work

KOCHI: The location of Kochi metro rail’s Elamkulam station has been shifted from the area in front of the Little Flower Church at Elamkulam on SA Road, to a 1.50-acre private land near the bridge on the eastern side of Elamkulam junction.

The location of the station in front of the church had been opposed by church members and people’s representatives. There would be no change in the location of the other 23 stations along the 25-km alignment of the elevated light metro rail.

A team of officials deputed by the project consultants — the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation — arrived in the city on Saturday to fix the boundaries of the land that would be acquired afresh in Elamkulam following the change in the location of the station. They would also do a preliminary survey across the Aluva-MG Road-Pettah route through which the metro rail would pass. The work will continue through Sunday. Sources in the corporation said that all that is required now is the formal nod from the Planning Commission, to kickstart the construction activities. “With the commission suggesting private participation and the State government and the Union Urban Development Ministry preferring a Centre-State joint venture project, it is now up to the Prime Minister to have a final say on the mode of implementing the project,” the sources said.

An estimated 65 acres of land would have to be acquired for the project, of which 40 acres would be private land. A good share of the land would be used to locate the stations.

Land would also be required to widen junctions and to increase the width of the narrow Vytilla-Pettah Road. Demarcating stones have been laid all along the route, except in a 2-km stretch on MG Road where a section of merchants are opposed to surrendering their land. The land required along the Aluva-Pettah route is frozen and all construction activity banned.

The Land Revenue Commissioner’s nod to invoke the urgency clause for land acquisition is awaited.

[EMP]

DMRC opens office


KOCHI: Signaling the realisation of the Kochi Metro Rail Project, a team of officials from the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on Friday opened an office in the city to undertake various tasks in implementing the project.

DMRC executive director Kumar Kesav said as suggested by the state government, the DMRC officials would be initiating discussion with the Southern Railway officials on land allocation and with the district administration on land acquisition for the project.

“The state government has entrusted the DMRC with implementing the project, which will be funded both by the Centre and the state government.

Once the project takes off, after the clearance from the planning commission, it will be completed in four years,” he said. Kesav said that P Shriram of the DMRC would be appointed as the project director.

He said that the DMRC had already initiated talks with the Southern Railways on allocating land at Ernakulam South Railway Station and at Aluva for the project. Though the Rs 3000 crore-project was conceived years back, the authorities were yet to fix the final alignment.

Source:- http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/s...e=gUhH3Holuas=

[sanjupalayat]

DMRC to set up office in 2 weeks .... for Kochi Metro..

It seems momentum gathering.....

[..devil..]

i wouldn't bet on this. at least until 2050.

[killerk]

Originally Posted by sudheeshnairs

As per 200I census, Coimbatore Corporation is just a shade over 9 lakhs only, while TVM is about 8 lakhs, while Kochi is just 6 lakhs.

As per the 2008 estimates, the U/A population is about 1.6 lakhs, Kochi is also the same and TVM is 1.1 lakhs..

BTW all the cities are about the same size on a macro perspective, town planning etc are concerned.

And hope this is the end of city comparisons.

Trivandrum Metro Rail was also suggested by a study by KINFRA(Kerala Infrastructure Development Corporation) done through L& T Ramboll, along with Cochin Metro Rail in 2001. I had joined KINFRA that time as a Management Trainee after my MBA. Later the UDF Ministry which assumed charge didnot proceed with that.

Technically as per world standards, any city with a population of 1 million or more should have an MRTS. Please note that the world city Dubai is having a population of about 1.4 million only; and they are implementing a most modern Metro Rail.

Under Indian conditions, the exorbitant costs are the main deterrents in implementing a Metro Rail. And at present only in the city of Bangalore with about 7 million, there is some progress.

In the case of Kochi Metro, the planning commission has opined that it is more of a matter of state subject. If the State has the capability to go ahead, perhaps the centre will share a small portion. And with the fund constraints it could only be on a PPP model, unless we are some oil rich or a developed country. Under present conditions, I don't see a future for Kochi Metro.

Dubai has only 1.4 million people but it has the enterprising Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maqtoum as the ruler!!!! and comparing metro area to corporation area is like comparing apples to oranges. Even here in US, city of Austin in Texas has an area and population way more than everybody's favorite San Francisco.....but comparisons/studies are always done for Metro area....not the city individually....in that respect SFO is one of the largest metro areas in US......(Austin is 5.33 times the size of San Francisco!!)

the Tier 2 cities/metros in India should have a good suburban train system courtesy the Indian railways especially Kochi, (something like in Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai aka the local train) with such a huge suburban population.....people come from as far as Trichur and Kayamkulam on a daily basis to work in Kochi.....

However I agree with you that whether a metro is needed or not should be based on purely economic factors....load factors, revenue, profit, benefit to cost ratio etc...and in that way it does'nt seem feasible currently for any tier-2 cities!!!

[inus2663]

Originally Posted by sanjupalayat

DMRC to set up office in 2 weeks .... for Kochi Metro..

It seems momentum gathering.....

sry. i cant read or speak malayalam