4 years on, Kochi metro chugs along sustainability track

KMRL makes headway in its attempt to lessen project’s carbon footprint

Even as Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) has often faced brickbats for metro not getting even a fourth of the footfall that was estimated in the DPR, it not being able to establish last-mile connectivity from most metro stations, and its multi-modal integration project losing steam during the recent past, the metro agency has made noticeable headway in its attempt to lessen the project’s carbon footprint, four years since its launch in June 17, 2017. The system of mass rapid transport has been banking on the theme of sustainability even before it was commissioned, in order to attain carbon-neutral status. Over the years, solar panels which are capable of producing around 6 MW power were installed atop station buildings on the 25-km Aluva-Pettah corridor, atop the operational control centre and other buildings and on vacant ground at the coach depot in Muttom. This has considerably lessened the need to rely on power from the grid, official sources said.