The first Water Metro project in the country is likely to be launched in Kochi next month.

Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL) delivered the fifth Water Metro boat built for Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL) on Saturday (15 October).

CSL is building a total of 23 electrically propelled fast hybrid boats with a 100-passenger capacity for the water metro project.

For the Rs 747-crore water metro project, 15 routes have been identified, connecting 10 islands spanning 76 km.

Previously, the project was slated to launch in April of this year.

If everything goes as planned, it will probably be opened during the first week of November in conjunction with the National level urban mobility India conference, reports Economic Times .

The Water Metro project is projected to revolutionise Kochi's water transportation sector.

The High Court-Vypeen line, where the services will be introduced in the first phase, is currently undergoing a trial run. The passenger ride's trial run between the terminals at Vyttila and Kakkanad took place during the first week of March.

Of the total 38 jetties planned, the ones at High Court, Vypeen, and Mulavukad are almost finished, and the ones at Vyttila and Kakkanad are already ready.

By December, 14 Water Metro terminals are planned to be operational.

In 2021, the State government recommended the formation of a fare-fixing committee to revise Water Metro's fare structure in accordance with market conditions.

Experts in public transportation have urged for affordable tariffs, emphasising that islanders will be reliant on the Water Metro rather than metro trains.