Kochi: The Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL) has awarded the work of preparation of the Detailed Project Report for the Rs 430-crore Vytilla Hub second phase to IPE Global Ltd with a deadline of three months.
“The focus will be on providing seamless connectivity between various transportation modes like buses, metro, ferry/ water metro, auto rickshaws and cabs in a passenger-centric manner…The railway line passes just 600 metres north of the Hub. The feasibility of integrating the railways with the Hub too will be explored,” a KMRL spokesperson said.
A governing council meet chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on February 1 last year entrusted the KMRL with the project execution.
The KMRL has asked the consultant, who will be paid '1.20 crore as fees, to design the infrastructure in such a way that safety of pedestrians and non-motorised transport users are ensured. The plan will include pedestrian-friendly connectivity from the metro station to the bus terminal, boat jetty and the rickshaw stand besides development of urban spaces and greeneries.
“The design will be prepared to accommodate all public and private buses, including interstate contract carriage permit/state-owned buses, passing through Vyttila junction and facilitate their entry and exit in the Hub through proper analysis of bus fleet size and potential ridership factors. A redesign of the Vyttila Junction and the area traffic plan will also be done,” the spokesperson said.
The DPR is expected to provide world-class facilities to commuters and drivers besides provisions for fuel stations, electric charging facilities for buses and feeder electrical vehicles, night stabling and washing among others.
The ITS (Intelligent transport System) facility and the Terminal Management System to facilitate arrival and departure of buses in sync with boat and metro operations are included under the scope of work of the agency.
This comes even as the state government is working on a project for Bus Route rationalization and Integrated Bus Time Table for the Greater Kochi and the rest of the state. Smart card Ticketing across all modes of public transportation system is under implementation stage within the Greater Kochi region.
