Thiruvananthapuram: Govt is preparing to extend Kochi Water Metro model to other districts in state, including Alappuzha and Kollam, said transport minister C P John in the assembly on Tuesday.John said that a feasibility study was carried out through Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL) and the report was submitted to Inland Waterways Authority of India.Govt is also actively considering ways to reduce excessive cargo movement by road and increase transportation through waterways. For this purpose, Kerala State Inland Navigation Corporation has already readied 10 barges, he said.“The water transport department is moving toward a goal of achieving zero energy, zero emissions and zero fuel cost entirely by 2031. As part of this plan, 60% of department’s boats and 50% of its stations will transition to solar systems in the coming years. Vaikom station has already been converted into India’s first fully solar-powered water transport station,” he said.The minister also noted that Aditya, India’s first eco-friendly solar-powered passenger boat, winning the Gustav Trouvé Award for the world’s best electric boat was a major recognition for Kerala.“To boost tourism, water transport department has been successfully implementing several popular projects such as Kuttanad Safari, Vega, Sea Kuttanad, and Sea Ashtamudi. Large-scale infrastructure development is now under way to attract more passengers to water transport services. The department is making wider use of steel and fibre catamaran boats that offer greater stability and speed. In addition,” said the minister, in reply to questions, adding that fully solar-powered boats such as Aditya and Indra are greatly helping to reduce both pollution and travel costs.Kochi Water Metro’s 3rd anniversaryKochi Water Metro, India’s pioneering integrated water transport system, celebrated its third anniversary on Saturday, marking a milestone of 6.5 million passengers since its inauguration. While the project has successfully transformed backwater commuting, it remains in a race against time to achieve financial breakeven amid infrastructure hurdles and vessel shortages.Despite being “in the red” since its launch on April 26, 2023, Water Metro is narrowing its losses. Financial reports indicate a net loss of Rs 30.26 lakh in FY 2023-24, which was slashed to Rs 19.22 lakh in FY 2024-25.However, its target to achieve a financial breakeven by June now appears somewhat farfetched. “We could achieve the breakeven when the average daily ridership touches 8,000 which can be possible only with the launch of services in new routes like High Court-Kadamakkudy,” said a senior official.Presently, daily ridership is in the 7,000s. Daily revenue has crossed Rs 2.5 lakh with the commencement of Mattancherry route.
