The first water metro ferry will be handed over to KMRL on Friday

The 50-seat battery-operated electric ferry, each costing over â‚¹7.30 crore, can accommodate 100 passengers at a time.

The first of 23 water metro ferries to be operated through water bodies in the Greater Kochi region will be delivered by Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) to Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) on Friday, which has been repeatedly overshooting and overshooting from time to time. Will happen after overshooting. 10 months after the inauguration of the Vyttila-Kakkanad route of the Water Metro.

The 50-seat battery-operated electric ferries, each costing over â‚¹7.30 crore, can accommodate a total of 100 passengers at a time. A release issued by the metro agency said that the five boats under construction would be handed over to KMRL in a few months.

The upcoming Water Metro Ferry with state-of-the-art technology will have many first ferries. This is the first time in the world that a centrally-controlled integrated water transport system with a large fleet will be battery-powered. The ferries use lithium titanate oxide batteries – which are considered the latest and safest in battery technology, and are capable of fast charging. Passengers can be charged in 10 to 15 minutes at the time of disembarkation/disembarkation. Superchargers will be installed in floating-pontoon jetties at select locations. The ferry comes with a generator backup, which will automatically take over its operation in case of any failure of the battery system.

fast travel

The aluminum hull of the catamaran pier has a high degree of safety and stability. Along with the use of a floating jetty, it also makes the ferry disabled and elderly friendly. The hull is designed for a speed of 10-knots (18 kmph), which is significantly faster than the conventional ferries in operation in Kerala. This allows the ferries to consume very little energy.

The fully air-conditioned ferries with wide windows provide a comfortable journey for travelers and tourists, as well as a splendid view of the back water and banks. The interior is designed to a large extent like the Kochi Metro. The ghats are designed in such a way that even at high speed, very few waves can be created on the narrow channels and provide a silent mode of transport to the passengers. An automated boat location system will continuously monitor their position from the operating control center at the Voytila Mobility Hub. The CCTV system will monitor them remotely for better safety and security.

Thus the Kochi Water Metro will be a climate-friendly integrated water transport initiative to improve waterway connectivity, with a total of 78 ghats connecting 38 terminals located over 76 route kilometres. The construction of ferry ghats is also in progress. The Vyttila and Kakkanad terminals are almost ready and the dredging work has been completed, while the installation of the floating pontoon is in the final stages. Vyapin, High Court, Eloor, Cheranallur and Chittoor jetties will be ready by April 2022.