Kochi Water Metro—widely recognised for offering a modern, comfortable, and eco-friendly travel experience comparable to metro rail systems—has generated strong public acceptance and international attention. Encouraged by the success, the government has entrusted KMRL with studying the feasibility of replicating the water metro model in several cities.
In November last year, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways requested KMRL to conduct feasibility studies in 18 locations.
Feasibility studies have been carried out across 18 locations spanning 11 states and two Union Territories, covering a wide range of waterways including rivers, canals, backwaters, coastal waters, and port waters. The cities are Srinagar, Guwahati, Tezpur, Dibrugarh, Patna, Varanasi, Ayodhya, Prayagraj, Cuttack, Ahmedabad, Surat, Goa, Mangaluru, Kollam, Alappuzha and Andaman Nicobar.
KMRL Managing Director Loknath Behera said “The Kochi Water Metro has demonstrated that sustainable, technology-driven water transport can become a viable urban mobility solution. The submission of these feasibility reports marks the beginning of a larger national journey”.
If the organisation is entrusted with further project preparation and implementation in other cities, he said KMRL has the potential to evolve into a national and global centre of excellence in urban water mobility.
Feasibility studies for Lakshadweep and Kolkata are currently in progress.
These studies evaluate the potential for introducing modern, sustainable Water Metro systems in diverse hydrological environments across the country.
KMRL has also submitted a DPR to Maharashtra for implementing a Water Metro system across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
By leveraging its existing human resources and ensuring that other ongoing projects were not affected, KMRL has generated ₹8 crore in consultancy revenue through these studies.
Published on March 14, 2026