KOCHI: Ever since its launch on April 26, the Kochi Water Metro has been getting an enthusiastic response from the public. Till Monday, the water metro registered a total ridership of 52,143 on the High Court-Vypeen and Vyttila-Kakkanad routes.
According to official data, the ferries registered the highest ridership (11,556) on Sunday on both routes.
“From day one, there has been a huge rush of passengers from the High Court terminal. Most of them get on the ride for the novelty of it. As many as 6,559 passengers took the ride on the High Court-Vypeen route on the first day. With the launch of the second route -- Kakkanad-Vyttila -- the numbers increased further,” said an official with Kochi Water Metro Limited (KWML).
On the second day, the ridership was 7,117, and the subsequent days saw it climbing even higher. The massive demand for ferries is on account of the summer vacation. “However, it is expected that the ridership will increase further once more services on prominent routes, such as Fort Kochi, begin,” said an official with Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL), which is the implementing agency of KWML.
“The work on the Fort Kochi terminal is progressing and we expect to begin services soon,” said the official.
With the High Court terminal witnessing heavy rush, KMRL staff too have been roped in on weekends.
Meanwhile, the Vyttila-Kakkanad service, which operates only during peak times, has also been witnessing houseful trips.