PM Modi to inaugurate India’s first water metro during his visit t Kerala on April 25th. Water metro system is a unique mass transit system that gives the same experience as that of a metro system and is very useful in cities like Kochi. It is set to be launched by the PM as a ‘dream project’ and would help in the development and growth of Kochi.
The project will be launched at a cost of Rs 1,136.83 crore. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan stated in a Facebook post. The project will be funded by the government of Kerala and German bank KfW.
The Kochi water metro will connect 10 islands in and around the city and will have 78 electric boats and 38 terminals. Passengers can travel in both Kochi metro and water metro using the ‘Kochi 1’ card, they can also book the tickets digitally. Minimum ticket rate for boat journey is Rs 20 and there are monthly and weekly passes for regular passengers.
The specialty of this water metro is the floating pontoons that can stay at the same level with the boat during eavesdropping and descending times. The first service will begin from High Court Vypin terminals to Vyttila - Kakkanad terminals, the Chief Minister stated.
Electric hybrid boats will be used and the Kochi Water Metro had also won the Gucci Electric Boats Award, the international award for electric boats. The service will consist of 23 battery-powered electric boats manufactured by Cochin Shipyard, and they can be charged in 15 minutes and can accommodate around 100 passengers and the boats are fully air-conditioned and they can be 10 nautical miles per hour fast.