Kochi Metro will now run trains on the newly opened Maharajas-Thaikoodam stretch with a frequency of every 7 minutes from Tuesday. This comes after the Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) decided to increase the speed of the train along the stretch.
KMRL opened the new stretch on September 4 and it was a highly anticipated stretch of the metro as it passes through one of the traffic congested areas of the city. The frequency of the trains at the newly opened stretch was at an interval of 14 minutes earlier. But now this has been improved to seven minutes.
There are four stations on the newly opened stretch – Kadavanthra, Elamkulam, Vyttila and Thaikoodam. With increased speed and frequency of trains, passengers commuting from Vyttila region, a traffic hotspot, to the city centre will now enjoy greater convenience.
The decision to increase the speed of the trains was made after Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety accorded sanction to KMRL. At present, trains on the Maharajas-Thaikoodam stretch are running at a speed of 25 km per hour (kmph) whereas a train can run at a maximum speed of 80 kmph.
"We are excited to run the train at maximum speed on the new stretch. This is a gift for the people of Kochi. Now people can save both money and time," said KMRL MD Alkesh Kumar Sharma. He also added that one can now travel from Aluva to Thaikoodam (the full metro stretch) in just 44 minutes, while earlier it was 53 minutes.
The new stretch is also famous for the 90-metre cantilever bridge built across the railway tracks at Ernakulam Junction Railway station. The bridge, constructed without any supporting pillar, is the first such construction for a metro in India.
K A Manoharan, Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety, Kochi Metro Rail Limited and Commissioner of Railway Safety Southern Circle in Bengaluru under the Ministry of Civil Aviation, conducted the inspection on the new stretch on September 30 and October 1.
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