Water Metro terminal at Mattancherry to receive ferries from April

Water Metro ferry terminal at Mattancherry set to open in April, boosting water transport in Kochi city.

The long-awaited Water Metro ferry terminal at Mattancherry, for which work was re-tendered more than twice, is set to be ready for receiving and berthing ferries from April.

Work on the terminal is progressing swiftly in preparation for the upcoming summer vacation, when families and visitors throng the city’s waterfront for boat rides, followed by the tourist season that begins in Kerala with Onam.

One of the largest terminals of the Water Metro, it is coming up next to the renovated ferry terminal of the State Water Transport department (SWTD), opposite the Dutch Palace in the heart of Mattancherry heritage town.

“Once ready, the Water Metro terminal will be able to berth up to three electric-hybrid ferries at a time, with additional space for berthing ferries at night. The extension of Water Metro ferries from the city to Mattancherry is expected to be followed by a further extension to the upcoming terminal on Willingdon Island,” official sources said.

Keeping in view the demand for water transport from Kochi city to West Kochi, particularly to Fort Kochi and Mattancherry, four ferries are likely to be deployed, linking the High Court and Mattancherry terminals of the Water Metro. This includes a ferry that the Cochin Shipyard is expected to hand over to Kochi Water Metro Limited (KWML) later this month. While finishing touches are being given to the Mattancherry terminal, the floating pontoons for berthing ferries are expected to be ready in a month. As in Fort Kochi, the pontoons will be positioned well into the waterbody to ensure sufficient depth for ferries to berth safely, it is learnt.

Among others, the Mattancherry Water Metro Action Council had been at the forefront of agitations demanding the speedy completion of the terminal. Delays in completing the terminal have led commuters to rely on the electric-hybrid ferries operating in the high-demand High Court–Fort Kochi corridor since last year. The revival of ferry services to the Mattancherry jetty of the SWTD in February, after seven years, brought some relief to commuters.

KWML sources said the introduction of three circular electric feeder bus services of the Kochi metro, linking the Water Metro’s High Court terminal with Madhava Pharmacy Junction, M.G. Road, Maharaja’s College Ground, Ernakulam General Hospital, and Menaka, from 7.45 a.m. to 8 p.m., would further boost passenger patronage for ferries operating from the High Court terminal to Fort Kochi, Vypeen, and other areas. The fare for the air-conditioned e-buses, which run every 10 minutes, is ₹20.