Water Metro ferries to operate to Mattancherry, Willingdon Island from May

Water Metro ferries berthed at a terminal in Kochi. Water Metro ferries currently link the High Court, Fort Kochi, Vypeen, South Chittoor, Cheranalloor, Eloor, Vyttila and Kakkanad terminals.
| Photo Credit: File Photo

With the construction of Water Metro ferry terminals at Mattancherry, Willingdon Island, Kumbalam, Paliyamthuruthu, and Kadamakudi — all located in the Greater Kochi area — nearing completion, Kochi Water Metro Limited (KWML) is gearing up to extend ferry services from the High Court terminal to Mattancherry and Willingdon Island within a month.

While ferry services to Mattancherry and Willingdon Island are set to begin in May, services to the other locations would follow shortly thereafter, official sources said. Of the 15 Water Metro terminals planned in the project’s first phase, 10 are already operational.

As per the plan, four of the 19 electric hybrid ferries that KWML has would operate to the terminals in Mattancherry and Willingdon Island. Dredging will be undertaken shortly on the siltation-prone Mattancherry terminal premises to facilitate easy berthing of ferries, while a floating pontoon is to be installed at the Willingdon Island terminal. The pontoons at the Mattancherry terminal have been laid protruding well into the backwaters to ensure sufficient depth for the ferries to berth. It is hoped that post-dredging, the frequent arrival of ferries will prevent further siltation around the terminal premises, said Sajan John, chief operating officer of KWML.

Speed and time

The ferries in the High Court to Mattancherry and Willingdon Island corridors will travel at a service speed of eight knots (approximately 15 km per hour) and reach the Mattancherry terminal in about 20 minutes.

Trial runs along the corridor and to Willingdon Island en route would be conducted in the coming days, he added. Already, Water Metro ferries link among others the High Court, Fort Kochi, Vypeen, South Chittoor, Cheranalloor, Eloor, Vyttila and Kakkanad terminals.

The High Court-Fort Kochi corridor remains the busiest, reflecting the increasing preference for water-based transit in the city, sources said.