16/06/2017
#5 things that make
Going green: The Kochi Metro has a strong commitment towards clean energy, and it is the first metro service in the country to leverage solar power to meet a quarter of its electricity requirements. With every one of its 23 stations having solar panels, which can generate 2.3 mega watt (MW), and a 4 MW solar plant, plans are underway to meet as much as half of its electricity demands through solar power.
Also, every sixth of the 4,000-odd metro pillars will have a vertical garden which will use recycled municipal waste. The metro is also offering bicycles for free at every station for passengers to roam around the city.
Equal opportunity employer: Kochi is the first metro and the first state-owned company in India to “officially” offer employment to a large number of transgenders. Twenty-three of the 60 transgender employees whom Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL) has hired for operations ranging from ticketing to maintenance will be at work on Saturday.
Women workforce: Kochi metro service, once completed, will be the first in India to have a workforce that comprises 80% women.
Water ferry: Apart from offering mobility solution, the Kochi metro also plans to offer boat rides with water transport envisaged as a feeder service to the rail corridor. The Rs819 crore “water metro” project is in the works to connect the metro to the 10 islands of Kochi, with the first phase of the water corridor expected to be operational by end-2018