Guwahati: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will officially flag off the nation’s first water metro which will connect ten tiny islands near Kochi, the port city of Kerala on Tuesday. According to water metro officials, the metro project would begin with eight electric hybrid boats made by Cochin Shipyard Limited.
They emphasised the need to utilise numerous inland water bodies that will assist decongest current transport networks and claimed that the integrated metro system integrating rail, road and water will be a game changer for the state. It will be the most affordable way to travel around Kochi’s picturesque backwaters.
Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said, the state’s water transportation industry will undergo a big revolution in water metro sector and the tourism sector would be benefitial as well. He claimed that an environmentally friendly and energy-efficient water metro service will alter the way people commute in cities.
“The water metro will give a new impetus to transport and tourism sectors,” he said.
“Water Metro will have an elite touch with an affordable price tag. We have streamlined 15 routes that cover 75 kms and we expect more electrically- propelled hybrid boats from the Cochin Shipyard,” said Kochi Metro managing director(MD) Loknath Behra, also the former state director general of police (DGP).
In addition to single trip tickets, water metro offers weekly, monthly and quarterly passes. Initially there will be vessel in every 15 minutes.
“In Water Metro we use the most advanced Lithium Titanite Spinel batteries. It is the first time such a large number of electric hybrid boats operate as a fleet under one command in a public sector,” said Sajan P John, general manager (operations) of the Kerala Water Metro Limited.
He said the fully air-conditioned boats with wide windows offer a comfortable travel with exotic view of backwaters and will ensure foolproof security. Total cost of the project is ₹1,137 crore. German funding agency KFW and the state government funded the project.