The project, if realised, will benefit hundreds of commuters, enabling them to easily access the Ernakulam North, Ernakulam South and Thripunithura metro stations.

A view of the nearby Metro viaduct from the Ernakulam South station.

A long-pending demand for skywalks connecting railway stations with nearby Metro stations in Ernakulam South, Ernakulam North, and Tripunithura is gaining fresh momentum.

The Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL) confirmed it is in discussions with various stakeholders to implement the vital pedestrian bridges, which promise seamless movement for thousands of commuters.

The ‘skywalks’ project, if realised, will benefit hundreds of commuters to easily access the metro stations at these three stations, especially the elderly and those passengers carrying baggage. However, the railways put the onus on KMRL to source the funds and construct the structures.

D Dhanuraj, Chairman of Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR), gave his insights to Krishna Kumar K E of The New Indian Express (TNIE) on the building of skywalks.

“Since it benefits hundreds of commuters in assessing another mode of transport, skywalks are a necessity. The infrastructure should be jointly constructed. The railways should also chip in since it too will be benefitted. In fact, the railways provided for the skywalk during the original junction development plan, first formed in 2013-14. I was part of the meetings, and the skywalk was then a topic,”

he is quoted as saying.

“Here comes the role of bodies like UMTA (Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority), which can coordinate different agencies and carry out such projects. However, such a monitoring body is yet to be realised,”

he concluded.

Read the full article by The New Indian Express here.

Views expressed by the author are personal and need not reflect or represent the views of the Centre for Public Policy Research.