Mumbai may get a water metro by December

Mumbai may soon add a new commute to its transport mix: a water metro. Modelled on the Kochi Water Metro, the project will introduce battery-powered ferries across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), with services expected to roll out in phases starting this December. The project envisages a network of battery-powered ferries in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).

The route

The state government has chalked out six to eight routes for the project, with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis pitching two of the finalised routes for the pilot. A focus will be on the Nariman Point-Worli-Bandra-Juhu-Versova routes.

These routes are expected to cut down travel time in and around the city.  For instance, after the Radio Club jetty near the Gateway of India in south Mumbai is ready, the water metro will take just 40 minutes to ferry people to the Navi Mumbai International Airport. By road, it normally takes over an hour and a half at least.