Here are 5 key things to know about Kochi Metro; PM Modi to inaugurate new metro in Kerala on June 17

Highlights:

1. Kochi Metro is the eighth metro service to be made operational in India

2. Kochi Metro has been commissioned in a record time of 45 months as compared to other metro services in the country 

3. It is the first metro and the first state-owned company in the country to “officially” offer employment to a large number of transgenders

Prime minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate the Rs 5,181-crore Kochi Metro in Kerala state of India on Saturday, Livemint reported.   

The eighth metro service to be made operational in the country is reported to be unique in many ways.

Kochi Metro will have many firsts to its credit and it is set to have the longest first phase metro operation in the country and will offer free Wi-Fi, the report said. 

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According to Livemint news report, the Kochi Metro will be 13-km metro service and has been commissioned in a record time of 45 months as compared to other metro services in the country.  

Here are 5 things one can look forward to in Kochi Metro: 

1. Shortest commissioning schedule:

It has been commissioned in a record time of 45 months as compared to other metro services in the country, as per the Livemint report. 

While it took Mumbai Metro 75 months to finish its first 11-km run, Chennai Metro took 72 months for the completion of its first phase of 4 km. In comparison, Jaipur Metro took 56 months for the first 9.02 km, Delhi Metro took 50 months for the first 8.5 km, and Bangalore Metro took 50 months for the first 8.5 km stretch.

2. Going green:

The Kochi Metro has a strong commitment towards clean energy, and it is the first metro service in the country to leverage solar power to meet a quarter of its electricity requirements, cited the Livemint report.

With every one of its 23 stations having solar panels, which can generate 2.3 mega watt (MW), and a 4 MW solar plant, plans are underway to meet as much as half of its electricity demands through solar power, it said.

Also, every sixth of the 4,000-odd metro pillars will have a vertical garden which will use recycled municipal waste. The metro is also offering bicycles for free at every station for passengers to roam around the city.

3. Equal opportunity employer:

Kochi is the first metro and the first state-owned company in India to “officially” offer employment to a large number of transgenders, according to Livemint report.

Twenty-three of the 60 transgender employees whom Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL) has hired for operations ranging from ticketing to maintenance will be at work on Saturday.

4. Women workforce:

Kochi Metro service, once completed, will be the first in India to have a workforce that comprises 80% women.

5. Water ferry:

Apart from offering mobility solution, the Kochi Metro also plans to offer boat rides with water transport envisaged as a feeder service to the rail corridor. 

The Rs 819 crore “Water Metro” project is in the works to connect the metro to the 10 islands of Kochi, with the first phase of the water corridor expected to be operational by end-2018.

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