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Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) has begun survey work for extending Kochi Water Metro services from Chittethukara to Infopark, covering an approximately 2.5-km stretch. The extension, part of the originally planned Vyttila-Eroor-Kakkanad-Infopark route, has been pending for an extended period owing to a government decision on removing the Kozhichira bund in Kadambrayar, amid concerns over saline water intrusion into the area.
Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) has initiated survey work for the long-pending extension of Kochi Water Metro services to Infopark, one of the city's key IT business districts, covering an approximately 2.5-km stretch of the originally proposed route. The move marks a fresh step forward for a project that has remained stalled for an extended period pending a government decision on a critical infrastructure hurdle along the alignment.
The Water Metro's route number 2 was originally envisaged to run from Vyttila to Infopark, with intermediate stops at Eroor and Kakkanad, or Chittethukara. However, KMRL was earlier compelled to halt the extension between Chittethukara and Infopark, owing to strong opposition from various departments to the removal of the Kozhichira bund in Kadambrayar, a structure whose demolition was seen as necessary to complete the water route. The opposition stemmed largely from public concerns over the potential intrusion of saline water into the surrounding area once the bund was removed, alongside separate protests against the demolition of an existing bridge in Brahmapuram that also formed part of the route's engineering requirements.
The renewed push for the extension comes amid growing demand from both KMRL and stakeholders at Infopark, which has been expanding rapidly as one of Kerala's largest IT employment hubs. A traffic and transportation study conducted by the National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (NATPAC) had earlier highlighted the necessity of enhanced connectivity to Infopark, recommending the Water Metro extension as a key intervention. A high-level meeting chaired by the state Chief Secretary had subsequently revisited the shelved project, alongside a separate proposed Mobility Hub initiative intended to further strengthen the area's transport infrastructure.
Infopark officials have previously stressed the urgency of improved connectivity to the region, particularly with the state government's announcement of the approximately INR 25,000-crore Infopark Phase III campus, which is expected to significantly expand the district's employment base and correspondingly increase demand on existing road, metro rail and water transport links. Infopark's leadership has pointed to better connectivity as a key factor in attracting investors to the region, given the scale of daily commuter movement the expanded campus is expected to generate.
The Infopark extension forms part of a broader set of expansion plans KMRL has been pursuing for the Kochi Water Metro network, which currently operates 10 of its planned 38 stations across 76 km of integrated waterways connecting Kochi's mainland with surrounding islands. The agency has separately signed a memorandum of understanding with the SCMS Water Institute to study the feasibility of a further extension connecting Aluva Metro Station to Cochin International Airport via the Periyar river, reflecting KMRL's wider ambition to weave water transport more closely into the city's overall multimodal public transit system. With survey work now under way on the Infopark stretch, the coming months are expected to bring greater clarity on whether the long-pending Kozhichira bund issue can finally be resolved to allow construction to proceed.
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