India's First Water Metro To Be Launched In Kerala's Kochi Tomorrow: Here's All You Need To Know

India will get its first water metro on Tuesday (25 April). The water metro will be launched in Kerala's Kochi district. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will be on a visit to Kerala on April 25, will flag off India's first water metro.

PM Modi to launch the mega-project

PM Modi shared some photos of the Kochi water metro on his Twitter handle and called it a “significant enhancement” to the city’s infrastructure.“A significant enhancement to Kochi’s infrastructure! The Kochi Water Metro would be dedicated to the nation. It will ensure seamless connectivity for Kochi,” he wrote.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the Kochi Water Metro will bring a major revolution in the water transport sector in the state and will boost the state's tourism. Here's all that you need to know.

All about the Kochi Water Metro

1. The metro, which is funded by the Kerala government and the German bank KfW, will start with eight electric hybrid boats.
2. The Kochi water metro will connect 10 islands in and around the southern city. The project will have 38 terminals and 78 electric boats.
3. Built at the cost of Rs 1,136.83 crore, the Kochi water metro will begin service from the High Court-Vypin terminals to the Vyttila-Kakkanad terminals as part of its first phase.
4. Commuters will be able to reach Vypin Terminal from High Court Terminal in less than 20 minutes without getting stuck in traffic. Kakkanad can be reached within 25 minutes from Vyttila via Water Metro.
5. The metro’s special feature will be its floating pontoons which can stay at the same level as the boat in case of tidal variations.
6. Passengers can travel on the water metro using the “Kochi 1" card of the city’s metro network. They can also book their tickets online. The tickets are priced from Rs 20. Regular passengers can avail weekly and monthly passes.
7. All terminals of the Kochi water metro will be facilitated with automated fare collection, as per the official website of the project.
8. There are 15 routes planned as part of the water metro project, with navigational buoys and assistance throughout the routes. The routes will utilise inland waterways in and around Kochi with Cochin Port Trust Waters and National Waterway 3 forming the major share. The project will also use other inland waters and existing routes under irrigation.
9. The Kochi water metro will run from Lithium Titanite Spinel batteries.
10. The water metro is touted to be eco-friendly, electrically propelled, and safe for differently-abled people too.
11. It will have air-conditioned boats with wide windows that will offer an exotic view of the backwaters.

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