Two corridors, one between West Hill and Ramanattukara, and another between the Kozhikode beach and the Government Medical College Hospital, are being considered in the first phase of the proposed metro rail service for Kozhikode city.
This was discussed at a stakeholders’ meeting on the draft of the comprehensive mobility plan (CMP) for the city at the district collectorate on Saturday. The CMP is a strategy for short, medium and long-term investments in a city to improve the mobility and accessibility of its residents considering the land use pattern there. This is the second stakeholders’ meeting on the project.
The participants included Ministers P.A. Mohamed Riyas and A.K. Saseendran, people’s representatives, local businessmen, police officials, and eminent citizens. They pointed out that Kozhikode needed a metro rail service in view of the fast urbanisation, rise in number of vehicles, and the traffic rush on roads. However, what mode of metro rail service was apt for the city would be decided later.
According to sources, the first phase having two corridors is proposed to be 27.1-km-long. The 19-km-long West Hill-Ramanattukara corridor will link the northern and southern parts of the city while the 8.1-km long Kozhikode Beach-Medical College corridor will connect the eastern and western parts. The first corridor will pass through West Hill, Nadakkavu, Meenchanda, Cheruvannur, and Ramanattukara and the second one will touch Medical College, Thondayad, and Kozhikode beach.
Lokanath Behara, Managing Director, Kochi Metro Rail Limited., which has been tasked with preparing the CMP, pointed out that a mass rapid transport system was a must for Kozhikode. “Whether we need a traditional metro rail service or a lite metro can be decided only after collecting the data based on a traffic survey. It will be linked with the master plan for the city. If the plan is for elevated stations, land will have to be acquired only for the stations,” he told the media after the meeting.
Mayor Beena Philip said that launch of circular bus services, rearrangement of existing bus services, and construction of parking slots in suburban areas would have to be considered. District Collector Snehil Kumar Singh said that the two corridors were identified after inspecting busy spots and routes in the city. The project would foresee the development of Kozhikode after 50 to 60 years, he added.
The draft CMP will now be placed before the Kozhikode Corporation Council for detailed discussions. Once it gets approved, the plan will be sent to the State government. After the State government’s approval, a final detailed project report will be prepared and sent to the Union government. The process is expected to take six to seven months.
