The Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) has decided to operate services every 10 minutes. On September 7 and 8, metro services will operate from 7am to 1pm and from 2pm to 8pm. From September 9, trains will function from 7am to 12noon and from 2pm to 9pm. Between 12noon and 2pm the frequency will be every 20 minutes.
In the stage II, which begins on September 9, during weekdays, services will start from terminal stations at 7am. The last train will depart from terminal stations at 9pm. On Sundays, services will start from 8am.
“Kochi Metro wants to ensure that trains are clean, hygienic and fully sanitized. All arrangements would be passenger-friendly,” said KMRL managing director Alkesh Kumar Sharma. The dwell time at stations will be 20 seconds to ensure proper ventilation and fresh air circulation.
At final terminals, Aluva and Thykoodam, a 5-minute layover time would be provided with train doors in open condition for fresh air circulation. KMRL has also taken a slew of measures to ensure sanitisation, social distancing and cashless transactions. Social distancing will be monitored through CCTV cameras.
All passengers will be screened for body temperature through an infrared thermometer by security staff. In addition, thermal cameras will be placed at stations having high footfall. KMRL had already taken the decision to encourage passengers to use Kochi1 card rather than opting for cash transactions.
Measures have been taken to adopt contactless ticketing and digital payment at all stations. Cash boxes and contactless ticket machines are to be set up at each station in an attempt to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Cash boxes will help in checking the spread of virus, particularly through currency notes.
The new system will ensure that a commuter will not touch anything except the ticket. All staff dealing with cash will wear gloves. All communication between staff at the information counter and passengers will be through microphone and speakers. Foot pedal-operated hand sanitizers will be kept at station entry points.