Kochi Metro to ply from next month.

With Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan giving the nod, Kochi Metro, a project conceived to improve mobility in the economic capital of the State, will start running from April.

The date of commissioning will be decided after the Commissioner for Railway Safety (CRS) makes the mandatory inspection of the 13.4-km Reach I from Aluva to Palarivattom that has 11 ‘green’ stations, Principal Adviser, Delhi Metro Railway Corporation, E. Sreedhran said after a meeting chaired by the Chief Minister recently.

As the inspection by the Railway Safety Commissioner is likely in April, the Chief Minister said the commercial operations of the Kochi Metro could begin in April-end itself. The Chief Minister was informed by the authorities of DMRC Kochi Metro Rail Ltd, the special purpose vehicle of the project, that the Reach I works were in the final phase and would be completed by March 31.

Official sources told The Hindu that although Mr. Sreedharan insisted on finalising the date for commissioning of Reach I, the Chief Minister was of the view that it could be decided after the CRS’s inspection.

The government was of the view that the formal inauguration of the Kochi Metro should be delayed for the completion of the Reach II between Palarivattom and Maharaja’s College (5 km and 5 stations) so that citizens get the full benefit.

But, the Chief Minister decided to go by Mr. Sreedharan’s advice. The previous UDF regime was also for commissioning the Reach I before the Assembly elections. The Reach II had been planned for commercial operations by June.

THE HINDU