DPR study on extending Kochi metro to Angamaly begins

A study for preparing the detailed project report (DPR) on extending the Kochi metro from Aluva to Angamaly via Cochin international airport has begun.

Haryana-based Systra MVA Consulting India Private Limited is preparing the DPR at a cost of ₹1.03 crore. The company has been instructed to submit the document within six months, according to a Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) release.

KMRL managing director Loknath Behera said the study marked the beginning of the fulfilment of the long-pending demand to connect the metro to the international airport and extend it further to Angamaly.

The proposed elevated line will be 17.5 km long with a portion of it planned as an underground stretch. Detailed field investigation, surveys, and engineering study will be conducted as part of drafting the DPR. The cost of the study has been allocated from the financial assistance scheme of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

Mr. Behera has called for ideas and suggestions from members of the public for the development of the transit system. They can be sent e-mailed to contact@kmrl.co.in.

Water Metro to airport

KMRL has also initiated preliminary work for conducting a feasibility study to extend the Water Metro to the international airport from Aluva. An internal high-power committee formed to conduct the preliminary study has started functioning. The committee will submit its report in a month, a KMRL spokesperson said in a release.

There has been constant demand to extend Water Metro ferries to Kochi’s suburbs. Once the extension is ready, people will be able to reach the airport without fear of traffic snarls. In addition, both the metro and the airport will benefit in the form of more passengers. The study will examine what type of boat could be used on the proposed route and how the ferry service could be connected to the Aluva metro station.

The study will investigate whether an 8-km-long point-to-point service from Aluva to the airport through the Periyar should be launched or if it should have a stoppage in between.