Kochi: The water transport in Kochi will witness a major revival with the Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL) all set to launch air-conditioned catamaran passenger ferries by the ‘year end’ and the Kerala Shipping and Inland Navigation Corporation (KSINC) planning a boat service in the Vytilla-Fort Kochi route by October.
“The Rs 819.23-crore plan got the Centre’s nod faster than expected,” said KMRL managing director Elias George.
“Eighty per cent of the funding is being obtained from the German bank KfW. The department of economic affairs under the Ministry of Finance has initiated the proceedings with the German government and we expect the process to be over by March. International bids will be floated thereafter so that the boats can be procured by year-end.”
While the KMRL will procure the majority of 78 metro aqua boats, private parties can run one-third of the boats on the conditions laid down by the KMRL. The boats will operate at a speed of eight knots with limited stops.
“It will take 50 minutes to cover the Vypeen-Infopark section and commuters can enjoy services like free WiFi and TV. A portion of the boats will be reserved for tourists too,” said sources.
A total of 16 routes connecting 38 jetties across a 76-km route network have been identified. Two variants of air-conditioned and Wi-Fi- enabled glass reinforced plastic (GRP) catamaran passenger ferries with capacity of 50 and 100 respectively are being mooted.
Meanwhile, the KSINC will also launch a boat service in the Vytilla-Fort Kochi section by October. “It’s a separate project wholly funded by us. The catamaran- type fiberglass boat is under construction at the Timblo Dry dock in Goa and has a passenger capacity of 100 commuters,” a senior KSINC official said.
