Kochi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday flagged off India's first Water Metro project, the Kochi Water Metro in Kerala's Kochi. The Kochi Water Metro project connects 10 islands around Kochi through battery-operated electric hybrid boats for seamless connectivity with the city. PM Modi, who is on a visit to Kerala these days, flagged off the Kochi Metro project in presence of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Governor Arif Khan.
Country's first water metro: With the water metro inauguration, the Kochi Metro Rail Corporation (KMRL) has become the only metro in the country to have water metro service in addition to surface metro services. Kochi Water Metro is considered to be Asia's most integrated water transport system. In the first phase, the service will run from the Highcourt terminal to the Vypin terminal.
Later, the metro will be extended to cover the Vyatila Kakkanad stretch. Kochi Water Metro is a very large water transport network connecting 38 terminals and serving 78 boats over a length of 76 km. The water metro will provide an alternative to the traditional metro services and provide an opportunity to enjoy the backwater views and also boost tourism.
Also read: Get ready to ride on first of its kind electric boat of Kochi Water Metro
Carrying capacity: As per officials, the KMRL is manufacturing 23 boats that can seat 50 to 100 people at a time and 55 boats that can seat 50 people for the water metro Project. Six of the boats being built by Cochin Shipyard have already been handed over to Water Metro. The safety tests and trial runs of these boats have already been completed.
Special features: These boats are innovative in the sense that they can be run on battery, diesel generator and hybrid mode using both. A thermal camera is also equipped to assist the boat operator during night travel. The boats are also equipped with a radar system for hassle free navigation. Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to lay the foundation stone and inaugurate various projects worth more than Rs 3200 crore during his Kerala visit.
PM Modi on Tuesday flagged off Kerala's first Vande Bharat Express between Thiruvananthapuram and Kasargod at Thiruvananthapuram Central Station. The train will cover 11 districts namely Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Pathanamthitta, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasargod.
PM Modi also laid the foundation stone of the Digital Science Park in Thiruvananthapuram. The Digital Science Park is a key research facility to develop digital products and services by industry and business units in collaboration with academia.
