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Kochi Metro operational with launch of Tripunithura terminal
PM Modi inaugurates first phase of Kochi Metro, connecting Aluva to Tripunithura. 25 stations, 28.12 km network aiding travel in Ernakulam district.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday virtually inaugurated the 1.16 km stretch between SN Junction and Tripunithura terminal, making the first phase of the Kochi Metro fully operational.
Under the first phase, the Metro will have 25 stations from Aluva to Tripunithura spanning 28.12 kilometres.
Built at a cost of ₹7,377 crore, the first phase network is fully elevated and now connects the town of Aluva on the northern suburbs of Kochi to Tripunithura in the southern part of the city. The network will aid people travelling to the eastern and southern regions of Ernakulam district. The Tripunithura metro terminal is located close to the main railway station and with a bus terminal coming up adjacently, the area will become a major multimodal transport hub of the city, Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) officials said.
The pillars and walls of the terminal station have been decorated with mural art of ‘athachamayam’, a 10-day annual cultural fest in Tripunithura. The station will also house a dance museum dedicated to the traditional dance forms of the state, officials said.
Dignitaries who were present at the inauguration ceremony at the Tripunithura terminal included industries minister P Rajeeve, Ernakulam MP Hibi Eden, local MLA K Babu among others. A video message by chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, lauding the efforts of the Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL), was played at the function.
The construction of the first phase of the Kochi Metro began in 2013 and the initial stretch from Aluva to Palarivattom was inaugurated by PM Modi in 2017. Since then, multiple stretches of the network have been thrown open in phases. While the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) under the leadership of ‘Metroman’ E Sreedharan led the construction of the project till 2020, it was later handed over to KMRL.The second phase of the Metro project between JLN Stadium and Infopark, the IT hub of the city, is expected to be operational by 2028.
