The MG Road-Menaka-Park Avenue Road-MG Road hall is being primarily thought of for gentle tram service as it’ll assist KMRL overcome the challenges of considerable land acquisition and big capital funding,
| Photo Credit: The Hindu
Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) will conduct a feasibility study to function ‘light trams’ in the 6.2-km M.G. Road-Menaka-Park Avenue Road-Jos Junction-M.G. Road-Thevara loop line hall. It can be adopted by preparation of an in depth undertaking report (DPR), it was selected Tuesday.
Earlier in the day, a gathering was held in Kochi by officers of the metro company with their counterparts from HESS Green Mobility that carried out the sunshine tram service in Brisbane and plenty of different elements of the world. They additionally visited the route to get a first-hand concept about the potential of working gentle trams, an improvised model of the bus fast transport (BRT) system, in the loop line of the Kochi metro.
The route was excellent to have a lightweight tram community, officers of HESS Green Mobility stated, based mostly on their preliminary evaluation, in accordance to metro sources. “If realised, this would become a feeder loop line for the Kochi metro, helping improve patronage. It would also benefit people from Thevara and the densely populated West Kochi region. This loop line using light trams will also help link the metro’s M.G. Road station with the Water Metro ferry terminal near the High Court,” stated KMRL Managing Director Loknath Behera.
Light trams can function at highway stage and in addition parallel to elevated and underground metro rail methods. A 3-coach gentle tram having 25-metre size can carry up to 240 passengers. These electric-hybrid trams might be absolutely recharged in six minutes. They have been additionally in another way abled-friendly, not like many different mass fast transport methods (MRTS), stated Kishore Kumar Gattu, director of HESS Green Mobility India.
“A light tram network can be readied at around one-fourth the cost of the conventional metro rail system. This cost can be further reduced if their coaches are manufactured in India. The company has a plan in this regard,” he added.
Apart from large capital funding, a traditional metro rail system will entail substantial land acquisition, primarily for stations. If realised, it could develop into a feeder service for the Kochi metro, serving to enhance patronage in its 28-km Aluva-M.G. Road-Thripunithura phase-one hall and the proposed Kakkanad extension in the 11.2-km JLN Stadium-Infopark hall.
Based on its feasibility, gentle tram service might even be rolled out in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode, stated metro sources.