KOCHI: Kochi Water Metro Ltd (KMRL) will commence operations on two new routes -- High Court-Bolgatty-North Mulavukad-South Chittoor and South Chittoor-Eloor-Cheranalloor -- on March 17. Ahead of the launch, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the terminals of South Chittoor, Cheranalloor, Mulavukad and Eloor virtually on Thursday.
The event will be held at Eloor terminal at 5.30pm. With the commissioning of new routes, the Water Metro will expand its services to nine terminals, establishing five routes across the city. At present, it operates services on Vypeen-High Court and Vyttila-Kakkanad routes with tickets priced at Rs 20 and Rs 30 respectively.
Tickets on the High Court Jn-South Chittoor and Bolgatty-South Chittoor sectors will cost Rs 40, which will be the highest on the network. On the other hand, price of tickets on High Court Jn-North Mulavukad, Bolgatty-North Mulavukad, South Chittoor-Cheranalloor and Eloor has been set at Rs 30, while it is Rs 20 on North Mulavukad-South Chittoor and Eloor-Cheranalloor routes.
The Water Metro has witnessed a remarkable surge in ridership, with over 17.5 lakh passengers availing of its services since its launch in April 2023. The addition of new routes is expected to further increase the reach and convenience of the service.
At present, 13 boats operate on the High Court Jn-Vypeen-Bolgatty and Vyttila-Kakkanad routes. The construction of terminals at Paliyamthuruth, Kumbalam, Willingdon Island, Eroor and Mattancherry is progressing. Meanwhile, work on the Fort Kochi terminal is in its final stage and operations between High Court and Fort Kochi will begin soon.
The integration of the new routes is expected to facilitate seamless travel for commuters and enhance the overall effectiveness of the project. Upon completion, 78 boats will be deployed to link 10 islands via 38 terminals.