The Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) has launched the first of the 23 boats under the Kochi Water Metro project. Built by the Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), the boats can accommodate 100 passengers at a time. The final work of the boat is almost complete. The Kochi Water Metro is a feeder service that will connect islands and city suburbs such as Vypeen, Willingdon Island, Edakochi, Kumbalam, Nettoor, Vyttila, Eloor, Kakkanad, Bolgatti and Mulavukad.
The underwater works of the boat have been completed, and the remaining work is progressing fast, a statement from KMRL said. After the works are fully completed, the boat will be used for basin trial and sea trial before being commissioned. Twenty-two more 100-seater boats will also be launched for the Kochi Water Metro. The construction works are underway at a small ship-building facility at the CSL.
In February, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated the first route of the Rs 747 crore-worth Water Metro from Vyttila to Kakkanad. The water transport system will comprise 38 stations in 15 routes, covering a distance of 78.6 kilometers. KMRL had earlier stated that the boats will be fully air-conditioned and will use green energy and that they will not be dependent on fossil fuels.
Construction of the terminals in Vyttila and Kakkanad is complete, meanwhile, the works of the terminals in Kadamakkudy and Paliam Thuruth have commenced. The tender procedures for the construction of terminals at Bolgatty, Fort Kochi, Mattancherry, Cheranalloor, South Chittoor, Mulavukad North and Ernakulam Ferry are also complete. The terminals are constructed in such a way that their boat jetties will float on the water surface for hassle-free anchoring during low and high tides without a difference.
In the second phase of the project, 55 more boats with 50 passenger capacity will be deployed. Each boat will be able to accommodate up to three wheelchairs to aid persons with disabilities.