Structures near ready, Kochi Metro stations on track

Structures near ready, Kochi Metro stations on track

Big parking lots will be confined to major stations, while the rest will mainly have space for two-wheeler parking

Kochi: With structures of Kochi Metro stations fast nearing completion, the Urban Mass Transit Company Limited (UMTC) is probing means to ensure the best use of parking space at stations.

Big parking lots will be confined to major stations such as Aluva, Kalamassery, Cusat and Edappally, while the rest will mainly have space for two-wheeler parking.

“The feasibility of having multi-tier parking is also being probed,” metro sources said.

The metro’s parking policy will be announced in another three to four months, wherein parking on station premises will find detailed mention.

Track-level works are going on at half a dozen cantilevered station structures of the total 16 stations in the metro’s Aluva-Maharaja’s College corridor. The two-metre-wide square pillars will support the 21-metre-wide cantilever stations.

“Fire-retardant materials will be used in station construction to ensure passenger safety for up to two hours in case of a fire breakout. The interior will have a standardised design with some element of a location-specific theme, while the Indian Institute of Architects (IIA) is working on a dominant regional theme that will be adopted for station exteriors.”

Each station will have two tracks, in continuance of the metro viaduct. The Muttom station will have three tracks, the third meant for trains being taken to the adjacent coach-maintenance depot. Land for all the stations has been acquired, while it is pending at a few places in the Maharaja’s Ground-Pettah corridor.