Key facts
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi formally opened Kochi Water Metro on 25 April 2023; Wikipedia gives 26 April 2023 as the first day of regular operation.
- The first routes were High Court–Vypin (from 26 April 2023) and Vyttila–Kakkanad (from 27 April 2023), according to Wikipedia.
- On 14 March 2024 four terminals opened, including Eloor and Cheranallur, on the High Court–South Chittoor and South Chittoor–Cheranallur routes.
- The Water Metro reached 50 lakh passengers on 20 September 2025, about 29 months after it began, Onmanorama reported.
- Wikipedia gives the project cost as ₹1,137 crore, including a €85 million loan from Germany’s KfW, with electric boats built by Cochin Shipyard.
Why Kochi built a water metro
Kochi is a city of islands, and for a century ferries were how people on Vypin, Mulavukad and Willingdon Island got to work. The older State Water Transport Department boats were slow and their jetties worn; our Kochi water transport history covers that story. The Water Metro was designed as an urban transit system on water: air-conditioned battery-electric boats, floating pontoons, ticketing shared with the metro, and a master plan Wikipedia describes as 78 boats, 38 terminals and 16 routes.
Wikipedia puts the project cost at ₹1,137 crore, financed partly by a €85 million long-term loan from KfW, the German development bank, and about ₹102 crore from the Kerala government and KMRL. Cochin Shipyard built the hybrid-electric ferries; 23 were ordered in 2020 and the first was delivered in January 2022.
April 2023: the launch
The Vyttila–Kakkanad terminals had been inaugurated by the Chief Minister on 15 February 2021, according to Wikipedia, but regular public service across the system waited for the boats. Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened the Water Metro on 25 April 2023 during a visit to Kerala. Wikipedia records High Court–Vypin service from 26 April 2023 and Vyttila–Kakkanad from 27 April 2023.
Demand was strong from the start, helped by tourists curious about the boats. Onmanorama reported that the network reached its first 10 lakh passengers in 107 days, and the first anniversary in April 2024 closed with 19,72,247 passengers for the year.
Timeline of routes and milestones
| Date | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 15 February 2021 | Vyttila–Kakkanad terminals inaugurated | Wikipedia |
| January 2022 | First electric boat delivered by Cochin Shipyard | Wikipedia |
| 25 April 2023 | Water Metro opened by the Prime Minister | Wikipedia; The Week |
| 26–27 April 2023 | Public service on High Court–Vypin, then Vyttila–Kakkanad | Wikipedia |
| 14 March 2024 | High Court–South Chittoor (via Bolgatty, Mulavukad North) and South Chittoor–Cheranallur (via Eloor) open | Wikipedia; Indian Infrastructure |
| April 2024 | High Court–Fort Kochi service begins; exact day not confirmed | The Hindu (via PressReader) |
| 25 April 2024 | First anniversary: 19,72,247 passengers in year one | Onmanorama |
| 20 September 2025 | 50 lakh passengers reached | Onmanorama; The Week |
| 11 October 2025 | High Court–Willingdon Island and High Court–Mattancherry routes open | Wikipedia |
We could not pin down the day the Fort Kochi route opened: a Hindu report from April 2024 refers to the High Court–Fort Kochi ferries being commissioned on 21 April, but we found no second source to confirm it.
Eloor: the Water Metro arrives near Kalamassery
For Kalamassery the key date is 14 March 2024, when the Chief Minister opened four terminals including Eloor and Cheranallur, according to Indian Infrastructure and Maritime Gateway. The South Chittoor–Cheranallur route, about 5.2 km and calling at Eloor, put a Water Metro jetty within a short ride of the town’s western edge for the first time. From South Chittoor, boats run to the High Court terminal via Bolgatty and Mulavukad North.
In practice it became a leisure route more than a commute for Kalamassery residents, as our practical page on using the Water Metro from Kalamassery explains. Eloor’s own past, from the industrial island to the pollution debates, is on our Eloor island history and Eloor pollution timeline pages.
Numbers by 2025–26
By September 2025, Onmanorama reported, 20 boats were working across 10 terminals and five routes, about 24 km in all, from 7.30 am to 9 pm. Its milestone reporting shows the pace: 10 lakh passengers in 107 days, 20 lakh 95 days later, then 30, 40 and 50 lakh at intervals of 185, 160 and 161 days. The 50 lakh mark was reached on 20 September 2025 by a passenger buying a ticket from the High Court terminal to Fort Kochi.
Wikipedia later gave a cumulative figure of more than 77 lakh passengers by October 2026 and a daily average above 7,000 in 2025; we have not seen KMRL confirm the cumulative figure directly. Fares have stayed between ₹20 and ₹40 for a single journey, with weekly, monthly and quarterly passes.
Figures for future terminals and routes have shifted repeatedly since 2023. Treat any planned opening date as a target until KMRL announces service.
Why it matters for NAD Road residents
The Water Metro did not come to Kalamassery itself, but the Eloor terminal made a cheap Sunday trip to Fort Kochi or Bolgatty possible from this side of the Periyar. Men staying at Ashraf Gents Hostel, at the NAD Road signal, can find suggested outings on our Water Metro weekend routes page, and the rest of Kalamassery’s recent past on the archive hub.
Frequently asked questions
When did Kochi Water Metro start?
The Prime Minister opened it on 25 April 2023, and regular public service began on 26 April 2023 on the High Court–Vypin route, according to Wikipedia.
When did the Water Metro reach Eloor?
The Eloor terminal opened on 14 March 2024 on the South Chittoor–Cheranallur route.
Is there a Water Metro terminal in Kalamassery?
No. As of October 2026 the nearest terminal is at Eloor.
How many people have used the Water Metro?
It reached 50 lakh passengers on 20 September 2025, about 29 months after launch, according to Onmanorama.
Who built the boats?
Cochin Shipyard built the electric ferries; the first was delivered in January 2022.
Related guides
Sources
- Wikipedia: Kochi Water Metro
- Onmanorama: Kochi Water Metro reaches 50 lakh passengers (September 2025)
- Onmanorama: Water Metro first anniversary, footfall nears 20 lakh (April 2024)
- Indian Infrastructure: State inaugurates four terminals (March 2024)
- Maritime Gateway: Kerala CM launches four new Water Metro terminals
- The Week: Kochi Water Metro touches 50 lakh passenger mark
Facts about Ashraf Gents Hostel come from the hostel’s own profile and photos; rates are indicative and confirmed on the call. Last reviewed . How we write these guides: editorial notes. Map embeds © Google.
Cite this guide: Ashraf Gents Hostel. “Kochi Water Metro’s Launch in 2023 and How the Network Grew.” Published 8 October 2026. https://ashrafgentspghostel.adserr.com/kochi-water-metro-launch-2023/ Plain-text (Markdown) version · quoting with a link back is welcome.