A road map for the Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (UMTA), proposed alongside Kochi Metro, is likely to evolve by Thursday.
A two-day workshop being organised by the Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) in collaboration with CODATU, an international non-profit making organisation, and Agence Francaise de Developpement (AFD), will draw up the road map for UMTA, which is expected to transform the transportation scene in the city.
The road map to be prepared would specify the priority actions of the future transport authority and the essential steps for the realisation of a multimodal urban transport policy. UMTA would not be possible without the coordination of various agencies engaged in the transportation sector in the Greater Kochi region.
The workshop aims at creating a framework for UMTA to formulate a shared vision by all stakeholders and identify the roles of different institutions in establishing a network of integrated public transport at the time of commissioning Kochi Metro.
Inaugurating the two-day workshop that got under way here on Wednesday, KMRL managing director Elias George said the objective was to restructure the transportation system in a more passenger-friendly manner. This would be made possible by bringing together various agencies functioning in the transportation sector under a single umbrella. Mr. George identified coordination of various agencies as the single biggest challenge in the implementation of UMTA.
The idea is to link up the various transportation modes in the city through Kochi Metro. The project envisages a situation where services of all modes of transportation can be availed of through a single ticket.
The State government had issued an order declaring the formation of a committee for UMTA with KMRL managing director as the chairman. Central assistance would also be available for executing UMTA. AFD, which has agreed to lend a long-term loan to Kochi Metro, has also pledged assistance to UMTA.
Representatives of the Kochi Corporation, the Greater Cochin Development Authority, KSRTC, and the railway are attending the workshop being held at the KMRL office. The role for various agencies in the execution of UMTA was discussed on the first day of the workshop.
