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The Kerala government is planning to expand the successful Kochi Water Metro model to other parts of the state, including Alappuzha and Kollam. Transport Minister C. P. John announced this in the Assembly on Tuesday. He said that a feasibility study for the expansion was carried out by Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL), and the report has been submitted to the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI).
Kerala Water Metro Expansion
The minister said the government also wants to reduce heavy movement of goods by road and encourage cargo transport by waterways. To support this plan, the Kerala State Inland Navigation Corporation has already prepared 10 barges for cargo services.
The water transport department is working towards becoming environmentally friendly by 2031, to achieve zero energy use, zero emissions, and zero fuel costs. As part of this plan, 60% of the department's boats and 50% of its stations will switch to solar power over the next few years. The Vaikom water transport station has already become India's first fully solar-powered water transport station.
The minister also highlighted the success of Aditya, India's first solar-powered passenger boat, which won the Gustav Trouvé Award as the world's best electric boat. He said this is a major achievement for Kerala.
Kerala Water Metro Projects to Boost Tourism
To promote tourism, the department has introduced projects such as Kuttanad Safari, Vega, Sea Kuttanad, and Sea Ashtamudi. It is also improving infrastructure and adding more stable and faster steel and fibre catamaran boats. Solar-powered boats like Aditya and Indra are helping reduce pollution and operating costs.
Meanwhile, the Kochi Water Metro recently completed three years of service and has carried 6.5 million passengers since its launch in April 2023. Although the project is still running at a loss, its financial performance has improved. The net loss reduced from Rs 30.26 lakh in 2023-24 to Rs 19.22 lakh in 2024-25. Officials said the project is expected to break even once daily ridership reaches 8,000 passengers. At present, around 7,000 people use the service every day, while daily revenue has crossed Rs 2.5 lakh after the launch of the Mattancherry route.