For Anita Sharma, a native of Pune, who is in Kochi with her family on vacation, the highlight of her trip to God's Own Country was her journey on board the Kochi Water Metro to Fort Kochi.
"The views are picturesque and calming. The lush greenery of the mangroves provides a stark contrast to the city life we left behind," she says.
Anita adds, "Local life unfolds along the water's edges: fishermen in small rowboats cast their nets and villagers go about their daily routines, seemingly undisturbed by the gentle hum of our passing boat."
What impressed her the most was travelling in the Water metro's air-conditioned boat.
"It is indeed impressive," a gushing Anita says. "The Water Metro not only provided a convenient and sustainable mode of transport but also a memorable travel experience through the heart of Kochi’s enchanting waterways."
The Water Metro in Kochi, the first of its kind in India, celebrated its first anniversary on April 28. Its popularity has grown by leaps and bounds with a total of two million passengers using its services during the year.
Offering a comforting ride with stunning views through the backwaters of Kochi, the Water Metro offers services on five routes: High Court-Bolgatty-Mulavukad North to South Chittoor, Vypeen-High Court, South Chittoor-Eloor-Cheranalloor, Vytilla-Kakkanad and High Court-Fort Kochi.
Perhaps the most picturesque route is the High Court-Vypeen and High Court Fort Kochi routes where you can chance upon tourist boats, ships, skyscrapers, the iconic bridges of Marine Drive, and the Chinese nets through the wide windows of the solar-powered, air-conditioned vessel that produces almost zero sound and vibration while cruising along the Vembanad Lake.
The Vytilla-Kakkanad and High Court-South Chittoor routes offer a more serene, rustic backwater experience, allowing one to cut off from the din and dust of the city. The calming journey is through the lap of greenery -- the boat disappearing into the watery world of villages, with glimpses of Chinese fishing nets, fishermen in action, and various species of birds.
Within six months of beginning its service, the Water Metro hit a ridership of 1 million on October 16, 2023. According to Kochi Water Metro officials, more routes will be operational by August-September.
Travel enthusiast and a member of the State Planning Board, Santhosh George Kulangara, said that Kochi Water Metro is not just a means of transportation but also revolutionizes the water transportation picture of the city.
"Many foreign countries are connected by waterways including New York, Tokyo and Sydney and these cities give a lot of importance to enhancing their water transportation. Kochi, surrounded by the backwater and the Arabian Sea has a huge potential in water transportation both in terms of tourism and public transportation," he says.
"I think Kochi has a similarity with the city of Venice in Italy. Both the cities are surrounded by islands and they can be connected to the mainland via waterways. In Venice, boats operate between stops just like how our private buses operate. During my visit to Venice over two decades ago, I thought that Kochi too could have a similar model. Today, we have one, through Kochi Water Metro, with world-class standard boats, fully air-conditioned offering a sustainable mode of transportation," said Kulangara.
According to him, tourism will benefit from the launch of a water metro service in the new routes that will take tourists to the interior of Kochi and explore the real village experience.
Amid the hype, one of the challenges faced by Kochi Water Metro is the pricing.
The State water transportation body operates boats on the same routes at a much lower price and that is more affordable to the common man. The question that arises then is whether the Water Metro can sustain the passenger footfall after the initial enthusiasm dies down.
The Kochi Water Metro Limited's managing director Loknath Behere brushes aside such concerns.
"We are offering monthly passes to daily commuters, which will cost them Rs 10 for a trip. For a daily commuter, monthly passes are affordable and offer a comfortable and safe journey," he told The New Indian Express.
