KMRL board to finalise agency on Friday

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Kochi: The Kochi Metro Rail Ltd is set to finalise an agency for conducting the feasibility study for the second phase of expansion.
The 13th board meeting to be held here on Friday may take a final call on the agency where several, including RITES, are in the race. According to KMRL sources, the feasibility study and preliminary survey should be taken up simultaneously along with the construction work of the first phase, or else, nod for the second phase might get delayed.
While it has been decided to seek sanction for extending the rail to Tripunithura instead of Pettah in the first phase itself, the second phase would look at having the line reach Kakkanad, the centre of district administration and also the hub of IT activities. Kakkanad is turning out to be an important destination where the Infopark has already started functioning and work on the SmartCity is set to begin soon.
Another area for extension would be West Kochi which has tourist destinations like Mattancherry and Fort Kochi. Besides, the proposal is to extend the rail to Nedumbassery which houses the international airport.
The KMRL has already assigned consultancy firm CDM Smith to carry out a detailed study for the projection of revenue pattern and thereby recognize suitable funding of the project.
It would also look at a multimodal integrated approach along with buses, boats and autorickshaws, which would also have a single ticketing system. The Kochi Unified Metro­politan Transport Auth­ority has also been given the accord for looking at integrating the transport modes in the city.