Modi to dedicate nation's 1st Water Metro during Kerala visit

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate to the nation India's first Water Metro during his visit to Kerala on April 25, in the government's bid to boost the ease of living in the cities, officials said on Sunday.

Water Metro is a unique urban mass transit system with the same experience and ease of travel as that of the conventional metro system. It is very useful in cities like Kochi.

According to the officials, the Modi government has made a conscious choice to avoid a one-size fits all approach in providing infrastructure and connectivity.

A prime example of this approach is seen in the expansion of metro connectivity in the country.

The officials further detailed the differences between the various forms of Metro systems.

"Metro Lite is a low-cost Mass Rapid Transit System with the same experience and ease of travel in terms of comfort, convenience, safety, punctuality, reliability, and environment friendliness as that of the conventional metro system," they said.

They further said that it is a low-cost mobility solution for tier-2 cities and smaller cities with Peak Hour Peak Direction Traffic up to 15,000.

"Metro Lite costs 40 per cent of a conventional metro system. It is being planned in cities such as Jammu, Srinagar and Gorakhpur," officials said.

"Metro Neo has rubber tyred electric coaches powered by overhead traction system running on a road slab with exclusive right of way, with the same experience and ease of travel in terms of comfort, convenience, safety, punctuality, reliability and environment friendliness as that of the conventional metro system," they added.

Also, Metro Neo is being planned in Maharashtra's Nasik.

"Metro Neo resembles an electric bus trolley and can cater to a ridership of up to 8,000 Peak Hour Peak Direction Traffic. It does not require a standard gauge track. Metro Neo is being planned in Nasik, Maharashtra," they said.

Informing about the Regional Rapid Transit System, the officials said that for the first time a Regional Rapid Transit System connecting two cities in NCR (Delhi - Meerut) is being introduced.

"It is envisaged as a transformational intervention set to revolutionize regional development," they said.

Prime Minister Modi will undertake a two-day tour panning over 5,000 km in various parts of the country in 36 hours starting April 24 and during which he will attend eight programmes and travel to seven different cities. Starting from the national capital on April 24, the Prime Minister will first travel to central India - Madhya Pradesh.

After that, he will go to Kerala in the South, which will be followed by his sojourn to the Union Territory in the West, and then return to Delhi, officials said on Saturday.

Detailing the itinerary of the Prime Minister's long tour, the officials said, "PM will start the journey in the morning of April 24. He will travel from Delhi to Khajuraho, covering a distance of around 500 kilometres. From Khajuraho, he will travel to Rewa where he will participate in the National Panchayati Raj Day programme. After this, he will come back to Khajuraho, covering a distance of around 280 km in the to-and-fro journey. From Khajuraho, he will travel to Kochi, covering an aerial distance of about 1700 kilometres, to participate in the Yuvam Conclave."

"Next morning, the PM will travel from Kochi to Thiruvananthapuram, covering a distance of about 190 Km. Here, he will flag off Vande Bharat Express and also dedicate and lay the foundation stone of various projects. From here, he will travel to Silvassa via Surat, covering about 1570 kilometres. There, he will visit NAMO medical college and will dedicate and lay the foundation stone of various projects," they added.

Further, PM Modi will then travel to Daman for the inauguration of Devka seafront, post which he will go to Surat, covering about 110 kilometres.

"From Surat, he will travel back to Delhi, adding another 940 km to his travel schedule," they said. The power-packed schedule will see the Prime Minister travelling a staggering aerial distance of around 5,300 kilometres.