INDIA'S FIRST WATER METRO – TRANSPORT
News: PM
Modi inaugurates Kochi Water Metro: What is this public boat service?
What's in the news?
● Prime
Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first phase of the Kochi Water Metro - a
first of its kind public boat service in India integrated with a metro rail
network.
Kochi Water Metro:
● The
Kochi Water Metro is a project being implemented by Kochi Metro Rail
Corporation Limited (KMRL) with the assistance of a German funding agency, Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau.
Features:
● It
includes hybrid, battery-powered,
air-conditioned, and disabled-friendly boats.
● The
water metro will operate on water bodies like any other ferry or traditional
boat service, but with modern facilities, and enhanced safety and security measures.
Operation:
● Kochi
Water Metro has been envisaged as a feeder service of the metro rail,
operational since 2017.
● While
boats have been designed as coaches of Kochi Metro, boat terminals, passenger
entry and exit gates, ticket counters, and safety measures mirror the features
of the metro rail service.
● The
project is envisaged with 38 jetties, and 78 boats, covering a distance of 76
km.
Areas of Operation:
● The
water metro boat service will operate in the backwaters of Kochi, connecting 10 nearby islands with the
mainland of Kochi, the commercial hub of Kerala.
Significance:
● Unlike
traditional ferries, non-polluting,
battery-powered boats are noise-free and
produce low waves.