Kochi, March 14 KMRL announced on Saturday that it has submitted a comprehensive feasibility study report for implementing water metro systems in multiple Indian cities, a move that could transform urban water transport across the country.
The Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL) said in a statement that the central government had entrusted it with studying the feasibility of replicating the Kochi water metro in several Indian cities, encouraged by the strong public acceptance and international attention it has generated.
"In November last year, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways requested KMRL to conduct feasibility studies for Water Metro projects in 18 locations across India," the statement said.
"The KMRL team conducted extensive field visits, surveys, and technical assessments across the country and submitted the feasibility reports to the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) in record time," the statement added.
KMRL stated that the Kochi water metro has demonstrated that sustainable, technology-driven water transport can become a viable urban mobility solution.
KMRL Managing Director Loknath Behera said the nationwide feasibility study reflects the growing recognition of the Kochi model.
"The submission of these feasibility reports marks the beginning of a larger national journey. KMRL is proud to share its expertise and contribute to building a new ecosystem for clean, efficient, and integrated water-based public transport across India," he was quoted as saying in the statement.
He further stated that if KMRL is entrusted with further project preparation and implementation in other cities, it has the potential to evolve into a national and global center of excellence in urban water mobility.
Feasibility studies have been carried out in 18 locations spanning 11 states and two Union Territories, covering a wide range of waterways including rivers, canals, backwaters, coastal waters, and port waters, the statement said.
The cities where the studies have been completed include Srinagar, Guwahati, Tezpur, Dibrugarh, Patna, Varanasi, Ayodhya, Prayagraj, Cuttack, Ahmedabad, Surat, Goa, Mangaluru, Kollam, Alappuzha, and Andaman Nicobar, it said.
The feasibility studies for Lakshadweep and Kolkata are currently in progress, it added.
"These studies evaluate the potential for introducing modern, sustainable water metro systems in diverse hydrological environments across the country," the KMRL statement said.
As part of the study for Alappuzha, eight potential routes were examined, and it was found that 15 terminals and 61 electric boats would be required to operate across 87.77 kilometers of waterways in the coastal district.
For Kollam, it is estimated that 35 boats and 15 terminals would be required to operate around 35 kilometers of waterways, the statement said, referring to the feasibility study.
In Maharashtra, KMRL completed the feasibility study and submitted a Detailed Project Report (DPR) to that state government for implementing a water metro system across the Mumbai metropolitan region, the statement said.
The study in Mumbai covered 250 kilometers of waterways and proposed 21 routes, 49 terminals, and 207 boats to operate the water metro system there, it said.
KMRL secured the consultancy contract for the Mumbai project through an open tender floated by the Maharashtra government, the statement said, adding that it generated Rs 8 crore as consultancy revenue through these studies.