A railway ticket reservation counter has been envisaged at the Vyttila Mobility Hub, similar to the one at the Ernakulam Collectorate.
This is expected to be established based on the allocation of one reservation counter per MP, said Charles Diaz, MP. “This is a recent proposal and the space has to be earmarked to locate the counter at the hub. The facility is expected to benefit train commuters since they now have to travel all the way to Tripunithura or the Ernakulam Junction and Town railway stations to reserve their tickets,” he told The Hindu.
A nominal amount would be charged as fee on tickets booked here. This would be used to meet the recurring expenses of running the counter.
Ponnurunni halt
In keeping with the requirements of the inter-modal hub, people's representatives have demanded that the Railways sanction a halt for trains at Ponnurunni, located close to Vyttila.
“The Railways has land there and I raised the issue in Parliament. I also discussed the issue with the Union Railway Minister. The Railways have promised to look into the issue,” said P. Rajiv, MP.
The railway halt would come as a boon to passengers who now have to travel all the way to the congested city stations, through even more congested roads.
The Vyttila Mobility Hub Society is expected to build a boat jetty on the hub's eastern side in phase two of the developments, to enable passenger boats to ferry people from the hub to different places in Kochi and even beyond.
Thus, apart from buses and autorickshaws, commuters at the Vyttila mobility hub would be able to choose from two more commuting modes of transport- trains and boats.
Enquiry phone
Many months since KSRTC buses began to call at the Vyttila hub, its station master office has not got a telephone connection. The question is who would provide the connection – the KSRTC or the hub society. The agency's zonal officer P. L. Jose said that he would ‘soon' send a request to the RTC's head office, requesting a phone connection.
In the absence of a phone here, passengers often have to depend on the enquiry number at the main bus stand, where they often do not get factual information.
Vyttila stop
On passengers protesting against some RTC buses skipping the bus stop on the eastern side of Vyttila, Mr. Jose said that the agency has not got any intimation from the traffic police or the KSRTC head office.
“The head office must sanction the stop and the nearest unit office has to install a board there,” he said.
