NEW DELHI (Metro Rail News): The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) is preparing the National Water Metro Guidelines, 2026. These guidelines will help plan, build and run eco-friendly water-based public transport systems across the country. They will also set safety standards and promote clean travel on water.
The new guidelines will cover zero and low-emission technology, standard rules, financing options, environmental safety and smooth coordination between different transport modes.
The Inland Waterways Authority of India, working under the Ministry, has started feasibility studies for Urban Water Metro systems at 18 locations. Studies for 15 of these places are already complete.
The locations identified for feasibility study
The weekly brief metro & rail professionals read.
Ayodhya, Dhubri, Goa, Guwahati, Kollam, Kolkata, Prayagraj, Patna, Srinagar, Varanasi, Mumbai, Vasai, Mangalore (Gurupura River), Gandhinagar-Ahmedabad (Sabarmati River), Alleppey, Lakshadweep Islands and Andaman & Nicobar Islands are the locations mentioned for the feasibility study in the MoPSW press release dated 21 February 2025. These locations cover 12 states in India.
Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) has been appointed to carry out the feasibility study.
These studies check if the project is technically possible, what infrastructure is needed, how operations will work and how useful a water-based public transport system can be.
Four hybrid electric vessels are now running in Varanasi, Ayodhya, Patna and Kolkata. In addition, one Hydrogen Fuel Cell vessel has been deployed in Varanasi under other Ministry initiatives, mentioned in the official public release of MoPSW on 31 July , 2026.
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