Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off the country’s first water metro that connects ten small islands surrounding the port city of Kochi in Kerala on Tuesday. The metro project will start with eight electric hybrid boats manufactured by the Cochin Shipyard Limited, said water metro officials. They said the integrated metro system connecting rail, road and water will be a game changer for the state emphasising the need to make use of many inland water bodies that will help decongest existing transport networks. It will provide the cheapest travel through idyllic backwaters of Kochi.
Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said water metro will bring a major revolution in water transport sector in the state and it will also boost tourism sector. He said energy- efficient and environment-friendly water metro service will change the urban commuting concept. “The water metro will give a new impetus to transport and tourism sectors,” he said.“Water Metro will have an elite touch with an affordable price tag. We have streamlined 15 routes that cover 75 kms and we expect more electrically- propelled hybrid boats from the Cochin Shipyard,” said Kochi Metro managing director(MD) Loknath Behra, also the former state director general of police (DGP). Besides single trip tickets, the commuters can also avail weekly, monthly and quarterly passes in water metro.Initially, there will be vessel in every 15 minutes.