Authorities in Kochi have made tremendous progress after encountering multiple delays by starting the tendering process for the construction of the Water Metro Terminal in Mattancherry. The Mattancherry Water Metro Terminal Action Council has earlier spoken with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and urged him to expedite the terminal’s development.
The construction of the terminal was initially given a contract by the metro authority in 2019, with a March 2021 completion target. However, because the project didn’t start within the allotted timeframe, the contract was terminated. The third round of tendering for the construction of the Mattancherry Water Metro Terminal is reportedly still being held up by Kochi Water Metro Limited (KWML) waiting for approval from the German leading agency, KfW.
The construction of the terminal was initially given a contract by the metro authority in 2019, with a March 2021 completion target.
Because a piece of this particular terminal is located over water, making piling and related construction work more difficult, it stands out from the rest. To address these issues, KMWL has had conversations with KfW representatives who are currently in Kochi. According to the study, some architectural issues in the original plan have been fixed, and the authors are hopeful that they will soon receive KfW’s clearance to start the contract process for the 14 other terminals with the Mattancherry terminal.
These buildings are anticipated to be hybrids, mixing concrete construction with pre-fabricated components.
These buildings are anticipated to be hybrids, mixing concrete construction with pre-fabricated components. Despite a number of setbacks, work on building the floating pontoons that ferry travellers would board from has already advanced. Wherever possible, parking facilities will also be made available close to water metro terminals.
In addition, a fleet of 20 electric buses and 100 electric cars will be introduced to provide last-mile connectivity, notably to the ten islands that the ferries will link. The Kochi water metro system’s effectiveness and accessibility are being improved through this all-encompassing strategy. Mattancherry, a popular tourist destination in the state known for features like the synagogue, has a lot of potential to grow its tourism industry with the development of the water metro terminus.
