 "kerala water metro")
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Tuesday flag off India's first water metro in Kerala's Kochi district. The Rs 1,137 crore project will connect ten small islands around Kochi with boats running on hybrid power. The main focus of the project is to provide a cheap mode of transport for commuters and tourists.
It is funded by the German funding agency KFW and the Kerala government. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said the water metro proves that urban transport can be environment friendly.
What is Kerala's water metro?
Kerala uses inland water transport as a primary means to transport freight and passengers. The Kochi Water Metro will serve as an extension of that. It will use ferry boats on various routes to connect the ten islands of Kochi.
Under the project, 15 identified routes will be developed to connect ten islands along a network of routes that span 78 km with a fleet of 78 electrically-propelled hybrid ferries plying to 38 jetties. More than 100,000 islanders are expected to benefit from the water metro.
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From where will Kerala Water Metro start?
In the first phase, the KWM service will begin from the High Court-Vypin terminals and Vyttila-Kakkanad terminals. According to Vijayan, commuters will be able to reach Vypin Terminal from High Court Terminal in less than 20 minutes without getting stuck in traffic. Kakkanad can be reached within 25 minutes from Vyttila via Water Metro.
Kochi One Card for integrated travel
Using the Kochi One Card, a person can travel on both Kochi Metro Rail and Kochi Water Metro. There will be special passes of Rs 180 that can cover 12 trips, monthly passes of 50 trips for Rs 600 and quarterly passes of 150 trips for Rs 1,500.
What is the ticket price for Kerala Water Metro?
Tickets on KWM will cost between Rs 20 and Rs 40 and can be booked digitally through Kochi One App.
What are the features of boats being used in KWM?
Each boat has 50 seats, and it can carry 100 passengers. A boat will have 21 security cameras and 110 lifejackets. The air-conditioned boats, modelled in the shape of Metro trains, are manufactured at Cochin Shipyard.
