Last-mile connectivity, mobilising alternative revenue hold key to rescuing Kochi Metro out of the red

Daily loss hovering around ₹1 crore for a capital-intensive mode of mass rapid transport whose phase-one cost is pegged at over ₹7,000 crore

With the annual loss of the Kochi metro going up from ₹334 crore to ₹340 crore this year and daily passenger patronage flattening at 70,000, public transport experts have demanded aggressive measures to augment first- and last-mile connectivity and to mop up non-ticketing revenue.

Adequate connectivity from metro stations remains a far cry, although the mass rapid transport system (MRTS) was commissioned in 2017. The assurance of roping in bus operators and autorickshaw unions to operate on feeder routes from the 27-km Aluva-Thripunithura SN Junction metro corridor remains unfulfilled. Revenue from advertisements and rent from commercial spaces at metro stations is far below expectations, mainly due to inadequate footfall in metro trains. These have together led to daily loss hovering around ₹1 crore for a capital-intensive mode of mass rapid transport whose phase-one cost is pegged at over ₹7,000 crore. 

Former Union Urban Development Secretary M. Ramachandran, who settled down in the city after retirement from service, called upon Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) to probe as to why commuter patronage was not picking up in the metro. “A reliable system to improve first- and last-mile connectivity must be put in place, especially so since the metro’s extensions to Kakkanad and other locales in the suburbs have not been realised. It is oftentimes tough to get autorickshaws from many prominent metro stations. Bicycles and scooters for rent too must be made available at stations, while care must be taken to provide connectivity between metro stations and Water Metro terminals. KMRL must work in tandem with Kochi Metropolitan Transport Authority (KMTA) to realise all this,” he said.

He further emphasised the need to mobilise non-ticketing revenue through advertisements and real estate development, a mode adopted by metros across the country to make up for operational losses. 

Expressing dismay at the daily loss of around ₹1 crore for a 27-km metro system, former principal advisor to Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), E. Sreedharan, who oversaw its implementation, said KMRL ought to take a relook at the way it operates in order to increase patronage in the metro, while at the same time mop up revenue from alternative sources.

Responding to concerns of mounting losses and the fear that the metro might go the KSRTC way, KMRL sources said the annual operational loss could be halved from last year’s figure of over ₹60 crore. “Efforts are under way to make it zero and to attain operational break-even, in another five months. This would be done by efforts to improve daily patronage to over 1 lakh through marketing and other initiatives. Metro pillars and FM radio will be made optimal use of for this. Efforts to bring down the annual loss of ₹340 crore will follow,” they said.