Kochi: India’s first water metro service which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday saw 6,559 passengers on Wednesday. The service has received a warm response from the public which has made their lives easier.
Commercial operations opened at 7 am and ended at 8 pm on Wednesday. The ‘Water Metro’ operates between the High Court and Ypin terminals every 15 minutes.
On the first day itself, a large number of people thronged the terminal area to experience the water metro journey and hundreds could be seen waiting in long queues to board the boats.
On the Jal Metro, the minimum and maximum ticket prices are Rs 20 and Rs 40 respectively. On the Jal Metro, the minimum and maximum ticket prices are Rs 20 and Rs 40 respectively. High Court-Ypin will cost Rs 1000 20, while Vytila-Kakkanad will cost Rs 30. Ticket prices range from Rs 180 for a weekly pass to Rs 600 for a monthly pass to Rs 1500 for a quarterly pass.
The Water Metro project aims to facilitate access for urban households located along the Kochi Lake to commercial areas on the mainland, as well as reduce traffic congestion and pollution in the city. To increase ridership, the Kochi Water Metro project plans to launch new, energy efficient, environment-friendly and safer boats with low wake and draft characteristics frequently.
The Kochi Water Metro project involves the construction of 15 routes that will connect 10 islands with a network of 78 km long routes, using a fleet of 78 speedy, electric-powered hybrid ferries that will stop at 38 ferries. The water metro is expected to benefit over 100,000 islanders.
The water metro project consists of fifteen identified routes connecting 38 ferries in 10 island communities and 2 boatyards. The total length of these 15 routes is 76.2 km.