Public transport in Kochi will soon get a boost from swift electric boats that offer modern amenities, with passengers boarding them from jetties that compete with Metro railway stations in infrastructure facilities.
A Rs 819-crore project of the Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL), the Kochi Water Metro will be an integrated water transport system connecting 10 islands that surround the mainland of Kochi city. A network of 15 routes that span 76 km will be served by a fleet of 78 fast, electrically propelled hybrid ferries plying to and from 38 jetties.
Trial runs on a 50-seater air-conditioned electric boat began in January 2022, with services expected to start in August this year. The project aims to provide the people living on the islands with a reliable means of water transport, with a regular headway, using canals that open into backwaters and the ocean. More than 1,00,000 islanders are expected to avail the services.
KMRL Managing Director Loknath Behera says a centralised control centre would monitor and control operations, making the Kochi Water Metro the largest integrated water transport system in the world under a single command. The project also envisions the holistic development of the areas being connected by the waterways. KMRL aims to integrate the ferry, Metro rail, bus, and feeder mode services as well as the non-motorised modes of transport in due course, offering residents integrated fares and timetables.
It intends to introduce energy-efficient, environment-friendly, and safe boats with low wake and draft characteristics. The catamaran boats will be made of aluminium and their low wake will allow them to negotiate narrow channels even at high speed. Their batteries will get charged in
10 to 15 minutes from superchargers installed on floating pontoon jetties at select locations. The air-conditioned boats will ensure comfortable travel with wide windows affording exotic views.
“The water metro is a green project in terms of both efficient usage of electricity as well as its plan to go solar. The biggest hindrance to going electric in water transport was the size of the battery (and its weight), since it had to be accommodated on a small craft that would be operated late into the night. This was resolved by adopting the opportunity charging system tried by electric buses in Europe. We are using LTO batteries – which are the safest batteries available commercially ,” Behera points out.
A major part of the total project cost of `819 crore is being financed under the Indo-German Financial Cooperation, with a long-term loan agreement of
€85 million (Rs 579 crore) with KfW (Kreditanstault fur Weideraufbou), a German funding agency.
“By making use of canals and backwaters, the water metro would open up new possibilities in public transport. And by maintaining safety, punctuality and comfort levels, it would offer an attractive transport option,” he says.
