THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, in a statement on Monday, said the Kochi Water Metro project reaffirms the government’s commitment to providing public transport facilities with most modern amenities at a low cost.
“The project cost is Rs 1,136.83 crore, which includes a loan from German development bank KfW and the government’s direct investment,” he said.
The first phase includes services from the High Court-Vypeen and the Vyttila-Kakkanad terminals. It would take less than 20 minutes to reach Vypeen from the HC terminal and 25 minutes from Vyttila to Kakkanad. When finished, the project will have 78 services connecting 38 terminals. Built by Cochin Shipyard, the aluminium electric-hybrid boats have a low weight, and their lithium-titanate-oxide batteries can be charged quickly. The system uses modern control and communication devices and technologies. The terminals and boats are differently-abled-friendly.
The minimum fare is Rs 20 and weekly and monthly passes are available. The Kochi 1 Card can be used on the metro rail and water metro.
The CM said the water metro will end the travel woes faced by residents of 10 islands near Kochi city. In the first phase, 34,000 people can travel in the metro in a single day. When complete, the project will help reduce carbon emissions by 44,000 tonnes.