News Brief
Arjun Brij
Feb 28, 2025, 03:02 PM | Updated 03:02 PM IST
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The Kochi Water Metro in Kerala, which has drawn national attention for its pioneering approach to urban water transport, is now set for a significant expansion beyond the city’s boundaries.
Authorities are preparing to extend the service to three new routes as part of Phase II of the ambitious project, Times of India reported.
Kochi Water Metro Ltd (KWML) is considering three potential corridors for expansion—Kumbalam to Alappuzha, Aluva to Nedumbassery, and Paravur to Kodungallur.
This follows the successful rollout of Phase I in April 2023, which introduced 15 routes, linking 38 terminals across 10 island communities in Kochi’s backwaters.
The expansion drive was set in motion following a directive from the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, instructing Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL), the agency behind the Water Metro initiative, to assess the feasibility of extending services to other parts of Kerala.
Additionally, the ministry has asked KMRL to explore implementing similar water transport systems in various regions across India.
In response, KMRL has formed an internal committee to spearhead the preliminary feasibility study.
"Based on initial evaluations, potential routes have been identified linking Kumbalam in Ernakulam to either Cherthala or another appropriate location in Alappuzha. Alternatively, a route between Kumbalam and Vaikom in Kottayam can also be explored. Though a recent board meeting of Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) decided to carry out a feasibility study, we will start procedures for the study in Kochi region only after receiving official communication regarding this," a KWML source was quoted as saying in the ToI report.
Another proposed expansion, from Aluva to Nedumbassery, aims to enhance connectivity to Kochi airport.
Following the feasibility study, KMRL plans to initiate procedures for preparing detailed project reports.
Looking beyond Kerala, KWML is also evaluating the possibility of introducing Water Metro services in Kollam, as well as in several major cities across India, including Ahmedabad (Sabarmati), Surat, Mangaluru, Ayodhya, Dhubri, Goa, Kolkata, Patna, Prayagraj, Srinagar, Varanasi, Mumbai, and Vasai.
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Arjun Brij is an Editorial Associate at Swarajya. He tweets at @arjun_brij