PM to inaugurate India’s first water metro service in Kochi on April 25

For the Kochi residents the wait for the first water metro service in India as well as South Asia is over. Kochi Water Metro service’s first phase will begin operations on April 25 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi will remotely launch it from Thiruvananthapuram Central Stadium.

The first boat will ply on the route between High Court Junction and Vypeen.  Following the inauguration there will be no service for the public that day. The boats will run every 15 minutes during morning and evening.

This water transport system will include silent AC electric boats with modern amenities and world class terminals.

After the High Court Junction and Vypeen services, the Vytilla-Kakkanad route is expected to be launched soon.

Till now the Kochi Metro Rail Limited which proposed KWM has received nine hybrid boats from the Cochin Shipyard for the first phase of the project which includes the High Court-Vypeen, High Court-Bolgatty, and Vytilla-Kakkanad routes.

KWM is envisaged as an integrated ferry transport project which will cater to the Greater Kochi region. It will connect 10 island communities of Kochi with the mainland. The service will include 78 battery-operated electric hybrid boats which will ply along 38 terminals and 16 routes spanning 76 kilometres.

The service is expected to go fully operational by 2035 and haul 1.5 lakh passengers daily.

The water metro service is considered apt for Kochi as it is surrounded by backwaters and bordered by the Arabian Sea. Interconnected by waterways, the service offers accessible and environment friendly transport for the people.