Kochi water metro to connect Kadamakkudy islands; launch expected ahead of Village Fest

New Indian Express

7 days ago

KOCHI: For long, commuting has been an issue faced by visitors flocking to the scenic Kadamakkudy islands located on the outskirts of the city. But come this year's Village Fest there, dubbed as Kadamakkudy Carnival, the Water Metro authorities promise to launch ferry services to the serene island that recently captured the imagination of none other than industrialist Anand Mahindra.
'The construction work of Kadamakkudy terminal is in the finishing stages. We aim to finish the remaining works, mainly that of floating jetties, in another three months and start the service. We're slated to receive another vessel from the Cochin Shipyard next month, which will be deployed in the section,' Sajan P John, chief operating officer (COO), told TNIE.
The authorities are planning to operate services to Kadamakkudy-Paliyamthuruth from High Court or Mattancherry water terminals. 'What we aim is to provide connectivity to Kadamakuddy island. Hence, similar passenger ferries will be deployed.
However, we expect more tourists than normal passengers since there are only small numbers of residents in the islands. In the Fort Kochi section too, a lot of tourists are availing the normal service. We'll redefine the route either from High Court or Mattancherry terminal as per demand. Now the plan is to start the service from the High Court initially,' the official added.
However, KWML won't be operating back-to-back services as in the case of Fort Kochi or Kakkanad sections.