Kochi Water Metro: 7 key facts about India’s first water metro project
Image credit: Facebook/KochiWaterMetro
Kochi has become the first city in the country to introduce a water metro in addition to the Metro Rail. The cost of the first phase of the project is ₹ 1136.83 crore.
Currently, 8 electric-hybrid boats and 5 jetties are operational, with an additional 23 boats being built under the leadership of Cochin Shipyard.
In the 1st phase, it will operate between the High Court-Vypin terminals and Vytilla-Kakkanad terminals.
Once the water metro project is fully operational, 78 boats will be in service along a 76 km route, connecting 10 islands and 38 terminals.
Kochi Water Metro was awarded the Gussies Electric Boats Award, an international award for electric-hybrid boats used for the service.
The terminals and boats are equipped to be disabled-friendly.
The boats dock and depart on concrete pontoons built in Finland, which float above the water to stay in level with the boat during high and low tides. This system is being used for the first time in India.
Each fully air-conditioned boat can accommodate up to 50 people. The minimum ticket price is ₹20, with weekly and monthly passes available for frequent travelers.