According to a report, India’s first water metro rail project with about 23 ferries as part of project’s first phase, featuring steel body and aluminium hull, is expected to go live by December 2019. The news came after Kochi Metro Rail Corporation (KMRL) officially said at a press conference. The first of its kind for India, the water-transport will connect 10 islands near Kochi.
In July 2016, Kochi Metro Rail Corporation (KMRL) and German Development Bank of KfW signed an agreement for 85 million Euro loan for the project. The total cost of the project is pegged at INR 747 crore excluding INR 72 crore required for land acquisition.
The electric-powered ferries will be fully air-conditioned and will have a seating capacity of 100 passengers. They will reportedly connect 38 jetties on 16 routes. Gradually, in the subsequent phase, these ferries will be powered by solar energy.
The project aims the development of 16 identified routes, connecting 10 islands along a network of routes that span 76 km. The primary goal of the project is to bring in a fleet of 78 fast, fuel-efficient, air-conditioned ferries plying to 38 jetties, 18 of which will be developed as main boat hubs, while the remaining 20 will be minor jetties of transit services. More than 1 lakh islanders are expected to benefit from this project.
Worth mentioning here is that Kochi is the first city in the country to have achieved this milestone and is also the first time in India that such a significant level of investment is brought in for the improvement of water transport.
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