KOCHI: The much-awaited Kochi Water Metro will be officially inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 25 in Thiruvananthapuram through a video conference, in the presence of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Ahead of the launch, Pinarayi wrote on his social media post that the Water Metro, a dream project of the state, would accelerate the growth and development of Kochi. The metro will begin its commercial service on the High Court-Vypeen route on April 26 at 7am and on the second route, Vyttila-Kakkanad, on April 27 at 7am.
“With the launch of the flagship project set up for Rs 1,136.83 crore, one more assurance given to the people of the state by the LDF government is being fulfilled,” Pinarayi wrote in his Facebook post on Saturday. “The world-class Kochi Water Metro is setting sail. It is Kerala’s dream project, connecting 10 islands in and around the city. In the first phase of the state government and KfW (German funding agency)-funded project, High Court Junction-Vypeen and Vyttila-Kakkanad routes will be launched,” he wrote.
The cost-effective and secure journey in air-conditioned boats would help people reach their destinations without getting stuck in traffic. “It will take less than 20 minutes to reach Vypeen from the High Court terminal and 25 minutes to reach Kakkanad from the Vytilla terminal,” he said.
“The electric-hybrid boats being used for the service have already gained international attention. The terminals and boats of the metro are disabled-friendly. The floating pontoons that keep the boat at the same level during high and low tide are the speciality of the Water Metro,” he wrote.
Water Metro fares
The single journey ticket fare for the High Court-Vypeen route will be Rs 20. The fare for the Kakkanad route will be Rs 30. Kochi Water Metro will also have weekly, monthly, and quarterly passes. As an inaugural offer, commuters can enjoy discounts on their purchase of various trip passes.
A weekly pass with 12 trips is priced at Rs 180, while a monthly trip pass valid for 30 days with 50 trips would cost Rs 600. The quarterly pass is priced at Rs 1,500, and passengers would be able to avail of 150 trips within 90 days. People would also be able to use the Kochi One Card for travelling in the Water Metro. Mobile QR tickets could be booked through Kochi One app.