Launch of India’s First Water Metro in Kerala on 25 April 2023, Know All the Details

Kerala Water Metro (KWM) will connect 10 islands and currently 78 electric boats will cut travel time to destinations, and boost state tourism.

Written by: Arjita Gupta

Edited by: Krutarth Ghosalkar

Last Updated: April 24, 2023

On 25 April 2023, India will welcome its first-ever water metro. And this will be introduced in the Kochi district of Kerala. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off the Kerala Water Metro tomorrow, which is a huge achievement for the country in water transport. It will further help in the state of tourism for Kerala and even entice the locals. Pinarayi Vijayan, the Kerala Chief Minister believes in the same. The metro project will contain 38 terminals and 78 electric boats.

It is manufactured by Cochin Shipyard Limited. It is a dream project, financed by the German firm KfW and the Government of Kerala. The minimum price of the ticket is Rs. 20 for a boat journey. The Kerala water metro will operate in and around the port city and connect to 10 islands. It will begin to run with 8 electric hybrid boats. You can travel using Kochi One Card in Kochi Water Metro and Kochi Metro Rail.

There is the availability of monthly and weekly passes for casual passengers. You can book the tickets through Kochi One App and get digital access. The KWM service in its first phase will start from the Vyttila-Kakkanad terminals and High Court-Vypin terminals. As per the Kerala Chief Minister, the passengers can reach in less than 20 minutes from High Court Terminal to Vypin Terminal.

And this will be possible without getting hindered by any traffic. Also, through the Water Metro, it will take only 25 minutes to reach Kakkanad from Vyttila. An interesting fact is that KWM will run on the power of Lithium Titanite Spinel batteries. The Kerala Water Metro was constructed at a total cost of Rs. 1,137 crores.

This project is completely electrically propelled, making it eco-friendly. Also, it has been made in a manner that even differently-abled people can enjoy the facilities safely. You can see an exotic view from the air-conditioned boats of the backwaters because of the wide windows too.