Kerala Has Launched India’s First ‘Water Metro’

The battery-powered boats will ply Kerala’s backwaters, linking the busy port of Kochi with 10 nearby islands. The network’s first phase has 4 stops and will carry up to 34,000 passengers a day for a 20 rupee (24 cents) minimum fare. By 2035, the planned system will cover 76km of river with 78 boats working 16 routes, ferrying 150,000 people a day. The €125 million network links up with Kochi’s suburban rail. It could make life easier for people on the densely populated islands of the Vembanad lagoon.