Kochi: The first phase of Water Metro, the unique urban waterway transport project in the country, will be commissioned by March 2020.
This was announced by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at the ground- breaking ceremony of the first terminal of the Kochi Water Metro project here on Tuesday.
“The Water Metro project will utilise the maximum potential of waterways. It will help improve the livelihood of people in islands and boost infrastructure and basic facilities like roads and street lights,” the Chief Minister said.
There will be 35 boat terminals spread across six panchayats, six municipalities and Kochi corporation areas. In the first phase, there will be 19 terminals.
The Cochin Shipyard has bagged the tender for constructing the boats for Water Metro. Dr Jasper Wieck, charge d'affaires, embassy of Germany, made the announcement at the function.
The KFW, the German funding agency, has given a no-objection certificate to KMRL to award the tender to CSL to build 23 hybrid catamaran boats with twin hulls. They will have a capacity of 100 passengers and two wheel-chairs each.
The tender is to design, build, supply, test, commission and deliver the boats. The KMRL had earlier shortlisted four ship manufacturers.
