Thiruvananthapuram: The state capital has met the population criterion prescribed under Metro Rail Policy, 2017 for planning a Metro rail system, Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL) informed the state govt, putting to rest one of the key issues raised during govt’s review of the city’s comprehensive mobility plan (CMP). In a letter to govt on July 6 accessed by TOI, KMRL said the planning area considered for the Thiruvananthapuram CMP has a population of approximately 2.6 million as per the 2011 Census, thereby satisfying the population criterion.According to the Metro Rail Policy, 2017, a city should have a minimum of 20 lakh population.The population figure was formed by considering a planning area of 1,194 sqkm comprising the urban core area and urban influence area. The area includes Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, three municipalities and 51 grama panchayats. KMRL said the urban core area, spread over 372 sqkm, was considered for the detailed study, while the larger urban influence area was included for comprehensive transport modelling.The letter assumes significance as the state govt had directed KMRL to review the CMP in accordance with Metro Rail Policy, 2017. KMRL said the planning area and population considered for the CMP were assessed as part of the comprehensive transport planning exercise for the capital city and its surrounding urban areas.The CMP was prepared after traffic and transport surveys, travel demand modelling, traffic analysis, zoning and stakeholder consultations involving the local self govt department, town and country planning department, Thiruvananthapuram Corporation and other agencies. The exercise was aimed at assessing the present and future mobility requirements of the city and its wider urban influence area.Sources close to the project said the population criterion had already been clearly communicated to govt in July. “The CMP has clearly recorded the population of the planning area and stated that it meets the criteria. The issue is essentially about how the planning area is defined,” a source said.Another source said the population assessment should not be viewed in isolation from the wider urban mobility area. “KMRL has considered the urban core for detailed Metro assessment and the influence area for transport modelling. The planning area was finalised following the prescribed methodology,” the source said.Two weeks ago, KMRL submitted the revised detailed project report for the proposed Thiruvananthapuram Metro Rail project to the state govt and is waiting for approval.The CMP remains an important component in taking the project forward. The state govt had raised queries over the CMP, including the population and planning-area criteria, and sought clarification from KMRL. The clarification assumes significance as the population of the planning area is one of the parameters being examined in the context of the proposed metro project.KMRL also noted that the cases of Coimbatore and Madurai metro projects are different as they failed to meet the population criteria when it extends outside the city.
