Establishing a mobility hub in Thripunithura in the near future, on the lines of the one at Vyttila, is a possibility with Kochi Metro Rail Limited keen on the proposal which will see the metro station in the town integrate seamlessly with the railway station and the proposed bus stand.
The metro agency would shift its attention to streamlining the establishment of such a hub once land acquisition work was over on the Pettah-Thripunithura metro corridor to widen the road into four lane, said a metro official.
Currently, requisition for acquiring land in the 1.5-km corridor had been made. A social impact assessment (SIA) for this was under way and land acquisition was being done under the new Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act (LARA) 2013.
Metro sources said that Kochi Metro had obtained approvals from the State and the Union governments for its Thripunithura extension, utilising the savings of over ₹300 crore for the work. The most difficult and time-consuming part, however, was the actual transfer of the land for beginning road-widening work.
The Thripunithura Rajanagari Union of Residents Association (TRURA) has been actively promoting the idea of constructing the metro’s Thripunithura terminal near the railway station. A plot near this was being considered by the Thripunithura Municipality for establishing a new bus terminal for the past several years to reduce traffic congestion in the town.
