Kochi: If the experience of the past 100 days is any in indication, the expectation of office goers switching over to Metro from their cars and bikes may end as a pipedream.
Lack of adequate parking space is one of the prime reasons for people staying away from the metro. "Unless proper parking facilities are given, I don't think people would opt for metro", says Philips Abraham, a Kochi-based businessman. He says that the failure to include parking facility within the metro project is likely to be the single largest mistake committed by the promoters.
The Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL) seems to have realised the mistake and steps are afoot to set up parking facilities under the public-private-partnership model along the metro route. KMRL has identified five stations in the Aluva-Palarivattom section for parking facilities.
The options for parking in the Palarivattom-MG Road are also under the consideration, said a KMRL official.
Metro to enter central city on Tuesday
Kochi Metro Rail Ltd authorities expect a substantial increase in passenger traffic, with the second reach (between Palarivattom to Maharaja’s) being commissioned on Tuesday by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
It is expected that when the Metro reaches the city’s central area, a majority of commuters, who now rely on the 600 plus private buses and nearly 100 KSRTC buses will shift to the faster and convenient Metro trains. If the two-wheeler riders switch to the Metro, it will help significantly decongest city roads.
KMRL managing director Elias George earlier had said that the agency expected an increase in the regular passengers once the second reach was opened to traffic. KMRL is also planning to introduce special packages and revisions in ticket fares after evaluating the ridership.
The project which was commissioned in June had attracted good ridership during the first month and collected total revenue of Rs 4.62 crore. The first day collection was Rs 20.42 lakh from ticket sales. But, after the initial excitement, the number of joy riders dropped and the revenue started decreasing. Revenue in the initial stage will not be sustainable as most of the commuters were joy riders who could not be counted as regular commuters. More regular commuters will shift to the Metro after commissioning of the second reach and feeder services become fully operational, said sources.
