Newly-Inducted Double-Decker Was the First Bus to Be Flagged Off From the VMH Terminal

February 28 2011 10:27 AM

Kochi: Kerala State Road Transport Corporation's (KSRTC) newly-inducted double-decker was the first bus to be flagged off from the terminal. Transport Minister Jose Thettayil flagged off the bus. Thirty-five buses can be parked at the seven bays of the first phase terminal, constructed at a cost of Rs.15-crore. Once it becomes a full-fledged terminal-cum-hub for inter-modal (road, metro-rail, railways and waterways) transport by March, 2013, up to 2,000 buses are expected to use the terminal each hour. There will also be space to park private vehicles, taxis, and auto rickshaws. Eateries, public comfort stations and so on will also be set up.

Suburban-rail corridor “The recently commissioned Vallarpadam International Transshipment Terminal and the information technology (IT) projects in the pipeline will see a phenomenal increase in the number of vehicles in the city. Apart from the bus terminal-cum-mobility hub, the city urgently needs the metro-rail system for which the Centre is withholding permission. Similarly, Kochi did not get a suburban-rail corridor though Friday's railway budget sanctioned the same for many other cities.” Halt station for trains Fisheries Minister S. Sarma elaborated on the proposal sent by the State government to the Centre seeking a halt station for trains at Vytilla. “This will bring the rail network too within reach of the mobility hub. A project has been submitted to the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission to complete the pending phases of the hub. Tenders are being finalised for phase two. Many public sector and scheduled banks have come forward to fund the second phase. The Rs.15 crore for the first phase was raised from the Greater Cochin Development Authority and a few other agencies.” The project is modelled as an eco-friendly one and will also have a green belt within. Managing Director of Vytilla Mobility Hub Society and former District Collector M. Beena and General Manager of KITCO, consultants for the project, Cyriac Davis, spoke. Only a few city buses of KSRTC will ply from the terminal till March, when some pending work is expected to be finished. The buses will enter the terminal through the Kaniampuzha Road and will exit through the Vytilla-Tripunithura Road, few hundred metres from Vytilla Junction. Courtesy: Dileep K S