Kerala government's ambitious Kochi Water Metro service, a first in the country and launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi a day ago, commenced its commercial operations on Wednesday.
The flagship project of the Left front government, set up at a cost of Rs 1,136.83 crore in the port city, will connect 10 islands using 78 electric boats and 38 terminals.
Currently, 15 electric air-conditioned catamaran boats have started ferrying city residents across eight water routes. There are 15 proposed water routes.
A group of differently-abled children enjoyed the inaugural trip of the water metro on the launch day. The vessels and the terminals which are constructed in a disabled-friendly manner.
"The boats will start operating from High Court Water Metro Terminal and Vypin Water Metro Terminal from 7 AM. The ticket rate for this route is Rs 20. During peak hours, there will be boat service every 15 minutes in the High court- Vypin route. The boat services will continue till 8 PM," the Kerala Water Metro Limited (KWML) said in a statement.
It said the country’s first Water Metro service will provide safe, affordable and pocket friendly travel for people in and around Kochi and also the tourists from across the world.
The eco-friendly vessels can ferry up to 100 people each across the proposed 76-km-long routes at a speed of eight to ten knots. The boat had also won Gussies International Electric Boat awards, 2022.
Metro officials said the vessels are fitted with the most advanced and safest battery technology which is capable of supercharging in 15 to 20 minutes.
The vessels are also equipped with life-saving equipment including lifejackets and technology to prevent overcrowding. Apart from having an automatic boat location tracking system and a night navigation equipment, the panoramic windows of the vessels provide a visual treat of the scenic backwaters of Kochi.
The solar-powered electric vessels with zero emissions have recyclable aluminum alloy hull bodies and the engines produce near to zero sound and vibration while running. The Kochi Water Metro service is fully funded by the Kerala government and KfW, a German funding agency.
The terminals are built with state-of-the-art facilities and the jetties have floating pontoons with automatic docking system technology. The Water Metro is expected to ferry 34,000 passengers everyday.
The integrated ticketing system allows passengers seamless travel on water metro and metro rail using the Kochi One card. For the future, KMRL plans to make the smart card usable for travel on feeder buses and auto-rickshaws.
