The Kochi Water Metro, which has crossed the milestone of 25 lakh passengers, will begin its service to Mattancherry by October, reports Manorama Online. The construction of the boat terminal near the Mattancherry Corporation Park is expected to be completed by then. Although there is a jetty of the State Water Transport Department on the other side of the park, there is currently no service to Mattancherry due to silt accumulation. Once the terminal construction is completed, the Water Metro’s Mattancherry service will commence. By that time, three new boats will join the Water Metro fleet, making this the sixth route of the Water Metro in Kochi.
Tourist service
Although the Water Metro was launched to provide water transportation of the same standard as the metro rail to residents of the islands adjacent to the city, most passengers are tourists. Kochi residents are also among these tourists. In just one year, the Water Metro has established its presence in Kochi in many ways. Even for visitors who have only an hour to spare in the city, the Water Metro offers a small leisure trip. A new trend involves passengers parking their vehicles at Marine Drive, boarding a boat from the High Court terminal, exploring Fort Kochi and Mattancherry, and returning to Marine Drive.
Scenic journey to Chittoor
Despite being the most scenic water journey, the route to South Chittoor has yet to gain popularity. Although it is a 7-km round trip around islets and islands, few outside passengers are taking this ride. This route is not widely introduced even to foreign tourists visiting Kochi. The Water Metro vessel on this route operates only during office hours in the morning and evening, which may be why tourists do not use this facility. The ticket price is Rs 40.
Regular passengers increasing
The number of regular passengers is increasing on the Vyttila-Kakkanad Water Metro route. This route has more non-tourist regular passengers. With Kochi Metro Rail Limited’s e-bus operating as a feeder service to the jetty starting next month, the number of passengers is expected to rise. The bus service will connect Infopark and Kakkanad. Although a KSRTC feeder bus service was operated from the Chittethukara Metro terminal, frequent disruptions led to uncertainty among passengers about continued journeys to and from the terminal. The number of passengers on the Vyttila-Kakkanad Water Metro route is expected to increase further as traffic congestion on Civil Line Road intensifies due to the construction of the metro rail viaduct.
Five routes
The existing five routes of the Water Metro are: High Court–Vypin, High Court–Fort Kochi, High Court–South Chittoor, South Chittoor–Cheranallur, and Vyttila–Kakkanad. The majority of passengers travel from the High Court to Fort Kochi, with 60% of the total passengers starting their journey from the High Court jetty. The Fort Kochi route is the most revenue-generating service for the Water Metro.