Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) received the first set of Made in India coaches, five months ahead of schedule from Alstom Transport, manufacturers for the project.
Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu released the first set in the presence of Kerala Minister for Power and Railways Aryadan Muhammed at an official ceremony.
The ceremony took place at the Alstom’s facility in Sri City (Special Economic Zone) in Tada, Andhra Pradesh. The coaches will now be transported to Kochi from Sri City.
In his brief speech, Naidu urged the industry units to create more employment in the region and appealed to take up projects benefitting the locals.
According to a Kochi metro release, the order for 25 train sets was placed in August 2014 and the French company Alstom delivered the first train set in record time.
Sri City SEZ stands as a true manifestation of the government’s Make in India campaign and we take pride that Alstom Transport is supplying the very first set of ‘Made in India’ coaches to Kochi metro.
Ravindra Sannareddy, Managing Director, Sri City
Each train will be fitted with two air conditioning units per car to provide thermal comfort to the commuters. The 25 coaches would run on an elevated metro rail network of 25 km and 22 stations across Kochi.
It was a big achievement as the coaches were delivered ahead of schedule in a time of 15 months.
Elias George, KMRL, Managing Director
The unique design of Kochi metro featured LED lights on the front which are in the shape of an elephant’s tusk.
The metro line is expected to be open by the end of 2016.
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