KMRL Extends Kochi Metro’s Trial Runs to Aluva Station
The Kochi Metro Rail Ltd. yesterday extended trial runs/testing to Aluva Station – the northern terminal of its 25.6 km Line-1. Until now, KMRL had been regularly testing trains between Muttom Depot and Palarivottom Station, a distance of 9 kms – see a nice close-up video here. With this development, now roughly 13 km of the line, from Aluva to Palarivottom, is being tested to ensure smooth operations with a wider coverage prior to its commercial launch in the middle of this year.
The KMRL initially started trial runs on this line between Muttom Depot and Kalamassery Station in early March 2016, then extended them southward to Edapally Station in late March 2016 and finally to Palarivottom Station in September 2016.
Testing is now being conducted through the Ambattukavu, Companypady, Pulinchodu and Aluva stations:
Aluva – Palarivottom section – View Kochi Metro map and information
Photo Copyright: Anuroop Ayaan Anoop
Entering Pulinchodu Station – Photo Copyright: Ajith Palal
Photo Copyright: Ajith Palal
Enroute to Aluva Station – Photo Copyright: KMRL,
Photo Copyright: KMRL,
Photo Copyright: Anuroop Ayaan Anoop
Here are a couple of videos shot by locals enroute to Aluva – be prepared for a neck exercise 🙂
Meanwhile, the 4th Alstom metro train-set arrived at the Muttom Depot on Monday – see an image here.
The DMRC’s Principal Advisor to Kochi Metro, E Sreedharan, is confident of opening the 13 km Aluva – Palarivottom stretch by March 31 and the 5 km Palarivattom-Maharaja’s College stretch in June, but has left it up to the state government to decide on when to start operations. Stay tuned to find out what they decide!
For more updates, check out the Kochi section of the The Metro Rail Guy!
– TMRG
Hi TMRG,
Great amount of speculation has went into, when Third Phase of Delhi Metro would be complete. What do you make out of this interview of DMRC’s director, Mangu Singh, in that regard:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/%E2%80%98Unified-transport-system-needed-for-last-mile-connectivity%E2%80%99/article17090255.ece
Thank you.
Hi, I love it – easily the most comprehensive interview I’ve read of him. Maybe it’s a paraphrasing issue, but I do not agree with most of what he said about the biggest challenges in Phase 3.
As for Phase 3’s opening, all lines are expected to open only by mid-2018. The DMRC won’t admit to that right now, but that’s how things are panning out.
there’s a place called PULINCHODU..haha
😀
I checked on Google Maps, and found that Aluva to Kochi International Airport is about 11 km. Am left wondering, as to why would someone create a project which starts in Ernakulam, but stops short of connecting it to the airport?
Leaving that for Phase 2? Or not interested at all?
Wonder if the KMRL folks have made any provision for pick up/ drop facilities for Air passengers and from/to the Aluva Railway station. Most likely, they will be left to fend for themselves. 🙂
Interestingly, given the Koch airport gets all (?) of it’s power from solar, they could actually think of running round-trip electric buses that are charged on their own in-house solar power! They could run them at a frequency of say 15m in peak hour, and perhaps 30m in non-peak hours. Of course, such a service while environmentally friendly, may not be acceptable to folks earning their livelihoods from ferrying passengers to and fro to the airport. And people power as we all know, irrespective of the party in power, is very strong in Kerala. 🙂
Hi, if you see Google’s satellite imagery, you’ll see that the habitation thins out north of Aluva. Constructing this 10+ km extension in Phase 1 wasn’t found to be economically feasible as most of the airport users rely on personal cars or taxis for door to door service.
KMRL in 2015 launched a survey among users to select the “best” route to the airport, but hasn’t made a decision on it yet.
Right. I suppose all/any Airport lines in India will face the same concern: will passengers use it? Don’t know whether the DMRC Airport Metro and Chennai line to the airport provide sufficient inputs for other cities to make a decision.
I heard the metro opening date has been fixed to May 1.
Aluva to Palarivattom is 11km, making it the longest route in India to be inaugurated in such a short time.
Any updates?