The extension of ferry services to the area would considerably benefit tourists as well as traders who frequent the Mattancherry market.
| Photo Credit: H. VIBHU
Water Metro ferries will, in all probability, commence operations from the city to Mattancherry from mid-October, bringing cheer to commuters who were hitherto caught in traffic gridlocks along narrow roads and bridges.
The proposed extension of the ferry services from the High Court terminal comes in the wake of Kochi Water Metro Limited (KWML) gearing up to commission the long-awaited ferry terminals at Mattancherry and Willingdon Island where the ferries will have stopover, it is learnt.
A total of three ferries can be berthed at the floating pontoons at the Mattancherry terminal at a time, while a ferry can remain berthed there at night. This would make it one of the biggest Water Metro terminals. Parking space too would be available for vehicles, said Sajan John, chief operating officer, KWML.
According to the plan, ferries to Mattancherry will operate every 20 to 30 minutes. Their frequency could go up when the Kochi-Muziris Biennale commences later this year. The extension of ferry services to the locale would considerably benefit tourists as well as traders who frequent the Mattancherry market, sources said.
The Cochin Shipyard has so far delivered 20 of the 23 electric-hybrid Water Metro ferries for which orders had been placed. They have been operating to a total of 10 terminals spread over the Greater Kochi area.
Faced with the delay in constructing the Mattancherry terminal, the members of the Mattancherry Water Metro Action Council had met the Chief Minister in September 2023 and submitted a memorandum. The delay in constructing the terminal was attributed to the work being re-tendered.
Ferry terminals at Kadamakudy and Paliyamthuruth are expected to be commissioned by the end of the year, Mr. John said.
The West Kochi Passengers’ Association has, in the meantime, shot off a letter to the Chief Minister, seeking his intervention to augment ferry services run by the State Water Transport department (SWTD) in the passenger-dense Kochi-Mattancherry-Fort Kochi corridor.
Only 11 daily services are operated from the city to Mattancherry, despite the ferry terminal there being reopened after dredging in February. Still, the SWTD often cites ‘inadequate depth’ of the terminal as a reason for not operating scheduled trips to the heritage town. In addition, steps must be taken to further dredge the premises, said S. Padmanabha Mallaya, secretary of the association, in the letter.
Similarly, there is shortage of ferry services to Fort Kochi as well, despite rising demand. In this situation, at least three more ferries must be deployed from the city to the two locales, he added.
Published – October 04, 2025 12:47 am IST
