Kochi Metro will be financially self-reliant in future, says MD Lokanath Behera

KMRL Managing Director, Lokanath Behera, said that by expanding the prospect of services offered, Kochi Metro could be financially self-reliant in future. In a brief interview with Mathrubhumi, he said that after completing the second phase of track construction from Kaloor Stadium, Aluva- Nedumbassery, and MG Road-High court-Marine drive short distance rail projects, KMRL could finally achieve financial independence.  

He pointed out that the ongoing projects can be completed within 30 months if followed together. He also expressed hope that this would be beneficial in saving a lot of money. "Some of the new rails will follow the 'Metro Neo' model, a rail system in which the trains will have wheels made of rubber. It is cheaper and also cuts the expense" he added. 

"KMRL incurred a loss of Rs 37 crore for running the rail network in the financial year 2021-22. It was much less than the loss of Rs 57 crore recorded in 2020-21 FY. Meanwhile, the number of daily commuters in Kochi Metro has increased to an average of 73,000. KMRL aims to have 1 lakh passengers per day. Thereby, the loss incurred by running the services can be avoided," he pointed out. 
He said that KMRL's ticket revenue has increased from Rs 30.80 cr to 12.90 cr recorded in FY 2020-21. Meanwhile, other sources of revenue generation also see an increase. This is planned to be increased to this Financial Year as well, he added.

Meantime, there are plans for KMRL to work as a consultancy company for city-based transportation projects. KMRL in association with the state government also tried to act as a consultant for the Bahrain Metro project. However, this was dropped due to the pending developmental projects here, he added.

"KMRL is also planning to roll out a super app to ease the public transport network in Kochi. Further, a single-ticket system that enables travels inside the city in various forms of transport is also planned," he said.