KOCHI: As Kochi Metro celebrated the first anniversary of commercial operations on Tuesday, the city is awaiting the start of commercial operations along the stretch from Maharaja’s College to Thykoodam.Taking the free ride offered by the Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL), the citizens said that completion of the Metro stretch to Thykoodam would make it easy for commuters to cross the busy Vyttila junction.“Currently, crossing the Vyttila junction is a nightmare. When Metro services linking Vyttila mobility hub begins operation it will help in addressing the traffic congestion,” said R Vijayaragahavan, an official with transport department.The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), which is executing the construction, is targeting the completion of civil works by end of December 2018. The entire stretch is expected to be ready for commercial operations by June 2020.The free Metro rides offered by KMRL turned out to be a big hit as the trains ran jam-packed on Tuesday. Scores of people flocked Metro stations from Tuesday morning and majority of them were maiden commuters.Ammini Cheriyan, a retired school teacher from Piravom. was one among them.“I was planning to come to Kochi on Sunday and travel to Aluva by boarding a Metro train. But later I decided to postpone it, as I came to know that KMRL is offering a free ride on Tuesday. My friends told me that the travel fare is a bit high. However, after my first ride, I feel that it is worth it. The Metro is a convenient mode of transport for all ages, especially senior citizens. I cannot imagine standing on a private bus or KSRTC bus for more than three minutes but in Metro I can and I didn’t feel the slightest inconvenience,” said an elated Ammini.“Though I have travelled in Dubai Metro few years back, the Kochi Metro is the best. It has its own uniqueness. In addition to that, it’s after a long time that I am going to Aluva, so it was a trip down the memory lane for me,” she said.Many commuters brought kids along with them for their maiden trip. Rishikesh S, a three-year-old boy stepped into the train from Aluva Metro station with the help of his father Sajith M. The little boy jumped, screamed and peered through the glass as the train sped across the tracks. “I was worried whether he would be comfortable as it was jampacked. But he seems to have enjoyed it,” said Sajith.College and school students were also in awe of their first Metro ride. Mary Rinu George, a student in a city college, travelled with her friends to MG Road Metro station to board a train to Aluva. “I am very much excited about this ride. It is a dream come true for me as well as my friends. Though we were planning to travel on Metro for quite some time it took so long. Since we are students, we were a bit hesitant to ask money from our parents. The free ride offer by KMRL has come as a blessing to people like us,” said Mary.A section of commuters demanded that the Metro agency should extend the free rides to three more days or even one week.Anagha K V, a student at School of Technology and Applied Sciences (STAS), Kochi, said that the Metro agency should offer free rides once in every month. “I feel like they should do it more often,” said Anagha.

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