India’s first water metro project in Kochi to begin in July 2022

10 May 2022 CW Team

The country’s first water metro project Kochi Water Metro, linking ten islands surrounding the port city Kochi will begin on a pilot basis in July 2022.

The integrated ferry transport project in the Greater Kochi region is presented by Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL).

It will be a socially inclusive transport system with an elite touch with an affordable label. Trial runs have already begun, and main terminal work has been completed. Kochi Water Metro, a subsidiary of Kochi Metro Rail Ltd, has streamlined 15 routes that cover 75 km, and the Cochin Shipyard Ltd is creating electrically-propelled hybrid boats.

It functions as a feeder service to suburbs along with rivers where transport accessibility is restricted. The project received the final environment clearance in Oct 2019, and its first phase was finished in 2021.

Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated its first route between Vytilla and InfoPark, built under Phase I of the project, on 15 February 2021. The inauguration was a pre-election cosmetic inauguration as services did not start until March 2022.

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Also read: Kochi Water Metro project still stalled after several deadlines

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