Kerala's first Metro in Kochi flagged off by PM Modi, joined by CM and 'Metro Man'

PM @narendramodi, 'Metro Man' E Sreedharan, Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu and other dignitaries on board the Kochi Metro. (PIC/@PMOIndia)

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday flagged off the Kochi Metro and enjoyed a ride on it along with dignitaries, including Governor P Sathasivam, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, 'Metro Man' E Sreedharan and Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu. Urban Development Secretary Rajiv Gouba, Kerala Chief Secretary Nalini Netto and KMRL MD Elias George also travelled with Prime Minister during his maiden journey in Kochi Metro from Palarivattom to Pathadippalam. Before boarding the train, Modi cut the ribbon at Palarivattom station. Yogesh Saini and Sumit Kumar operated the train for PM's journey. Pawan Kumar and Anil Kumar will be there supporting them from the drivers' cabins. After the train ride, the dignitaries will come to JLN Stadium, Kaloor and the public event will start. Kochi Metro will start the Revenue operations on June 19, Monday from 6am onwards, a spokesperson said. The trains will start from Aluva and Palarivattom from 6 AM simultaneously and finish the day's ride at 10 PM at Aluva. The headway will be 8.20 minutes and there will be 219 trips between 6 AM and 10 PM from Monday, she added.