Kochi: The Kochi Metro viaduct which will extend the service beyond Vyttila, up to Thykoodam station, will be ready by June 2019.

The ongoing complex engineering works to take the metro to Thykoodam such as the 95-meter-long balanced cantilever structure being built over the tracks at the Ernakulam South railway station, and the viaduct over the Vyttila flyover, are expected to complete in four months’ time.

The Metro, which now operates up to the Maharaja’s College ground, will have five more stations at Ernakulam South, Kadavanthra, Elamkulam, Vyttila, and Thykoodam along the proposed corridor.

The construction of metro pillars along the Sahodaran Ayappan Road is nearing completion. The works on stations coming under the new viaduct connecting Thaykoodam is also at an advanced stage. Land for extending the service up to Thykoodam has already been made available.

Meanwhile, the Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL), apart from bringing down the monthly loss levels by Rs 1 crore in the months of January and February, has registered a considerable rise in its revenues.

Remarkably, the loss incurred by the Kochi Metro, which will complete the first year of operation in June, is much lower than that of the other metro systems in the country after their initial year of commercial operation.

Moreover, despite being a comparatively smaller city, Kochi Metro has been making considerable growth in revenue generation, according to KMRL managing director A P M Mohammed Hanish.

There are only two metro services in the entire world- Singapore MRT and Hong Kong MTR - that generate net operational income strictly from their ticketing revenues. All the metro systems in India, including the Delhi Metro, continue to operate under loss. Also, the Kochi Metro has more ridership or the number of passengers traveling than what other metro systems in India had in the first year of operation.

While the Delhi Metro had an average daily ridership of 8,000 passengers in the first year, its Kochi counterpart is far ahead with an average daily figures of 36,000. The Bengaluru Metro, also known as Namma Metro, is second on the list with an average daily ridership of 23,000 passengers whereas the Chennai Metro Rail experience poor passenger footfalls in its first year of operation.

However, all the other metro services have managed to improve their ridership figures by resorting to desperate measures to attract passengers. During the private bus strike in Kochi, the metro’s average daily patronage had risen to 42,000.

Loss comes down

Till last December, the average monthly loss incurred by the Kochi Metro was Rs 6.6 crore. However, with a gradual increase in passenger patronage, the loss could be brought down by Rs 1 crore each in the last two months. The average monthly loss is down to Rs 5.7 crore now.

The estimated net operating loss of Kochi Metro in the first year was Rs 80 crore. If the current positive trend continues, the loss in the first year of operation would be around Rs 60 crore. The Delhi Metro recorded an operational loss of Rs 167 crore in its first year, while the Bengaluru metro incurred a loss of Rs 51.64, and it was Rs 116 crore for Chennai Metro.

The loss suffered by the Kochi Metro’s in the first six months was Rs 39.6 crore. At present, the average daily loss is around Rs 19 crore, while it was Rs 22 lakh last year. The daily operational expenditure is Rs 38 lakh. There has been a 13 percent increase in the daily passenger patronage so far this year. The revenue from parking charges has also increased. Advertisements on piers and medians fetched Rs 5.7 crore while revenues from commercials inside and outside of stations were Rs 5.8 crore.

Revenue from film shoots

Though shooting of several ad films had taken place inside the Kochi Metro, the first feature film shot in the Metro was a Telugu movie. The KMRL is ready to rent out the train for shooting to further augment revenue.

The steel corridor connecting the Lulu Hypermarket and the Edappally station will be thrown open soon. The authorities are considering construction of similar exclusive corridors in partnership with business houses for the benefit of both parties as well as general public.

There is no plan to slash ticket prices as of now, the KMRL MD said. There was an increase in the number of passengers when the KMRL offered return trip for the fare of a single trip. A majority of the passengers has continued to prefer metro over other public transport modes even after the end of the offer period, the official said.

The monthly pass for commuters will be introduced next month. The metro police station adjacent to the CUSAT station is ready for inauguration.

Challenges ahead

Land acquisition in the Thykoodam-Pettah corridor for building the metro viaduct has not completed yet. The proposed Pettah-S N Junction viaduct too faces a similar impediment. Also, the structural layout or alignment of the extension from SN Junction to railway station have not finalized. Before laying tracks between Pettah and Thykoodam, the reconstruction of the Champakkara bridge into a four-lane structure had to be completed.

A Detailed Project Report for the metro’s 11-km-long Kakkanad extension, which was revised in accordance with the central government’s new Metro Rail policy, was submitted to the State government on February 16 by the KMRL. The state government will forward it to the Center for approval.

An amount of Rs 168 has been sanctioned by the state government for widening the civil lane road to 22 meters. Administrative sanction for road development has also been accorded.

Water Metro

Thousands of people living in islands off Kochi will benefit from the Water Metro initiative, designed to function as a feeder system to the metro rail, said Hanish.

“The geotechnical survey for the proposed water metro has begun. The design consultant will be selected by next month. The layout of the terminals has been prepared and land acquisition procedures have commenced. The topography survey for the project is also under way in Fort Kochi. There is no doubt that the water metro will revolutionize Kochi’s public transport,” he opined.

The KMRL has plans to extend metro service from SN Junction to Thripunithura railway station. Though the metro was originally planned up to Petta., the government had given the approval to extend the service to SN Junction under the first phase of development itself, Hanish said.

“Initial discussions with officials of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on the proposed extension from SN junction to Thripunithura station were held recently. The fund for the extension works has already been allocated. There will be two new stations on the stretch between Pettah and SN Junction and another two stations- at KRL Junction and Karingachira- on the viaduct between SN junction and railway station. The service on the extended route will start from SN Junction and cover the Refinery Road and the airport junction before taking a right turn via Karingachira junction to reach the railway station,” he added.

Read: Latest Kerala News | Madhu lynching: Man who clicked selfie is eighth accused

