Water Metro to reach 18 more cities; Ayodhya and Varanasi included in first phase

NEW DELHI: Following the success in Kochi, the central government is planning to expand the water metro service to 18 more cities in the country. It is expected that the project will reduce traffic congestion in major cities. Discussions in this regard were held at a review meeting chaired by the Union Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.

The project will be implemented in phases. In the first phase, water metro services will be launched in the cities of Guwahati, Srinagar, Patna, Varanasi, Ayodhya and Prayagraj. In the second phase, Tezpur and Dibrugarh in Assam will also be included in the project. Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said that the water metro system will be developed by making maximum use of existing waterways.

The main attraction is that it can be implemented at a much lower cost than regular metro rail projects. The minister added that this will be an environmentally friendly and sustainable transport system. As part of the project, the 'National Water Metro Policy 2026' was officially launched.

The aim is to formulate a national framework for urban water transport options across India after discussions with various ministries. The ministry is considering various funding models, including Centre-State partnerships, fully state-funded projects, public-private partnerships and fully centrally funded projects.