Water metro systems bring metro-style public transport to India’s rivers, backwaters and harbours. They run modern, air-conditioned electric-hybrid boats on fixed routes and timetables, tied into metro and bus services through common ticketing. Kochi pioneered the idea, and cities across India are now studying and adopting it. This page follows India’s water metro projects: their routes, their operators and the latest developments.
What a water metro is
A water metro applies the discipline of urban rail to waterways. It runs dedicated terminals, level boarding, fixed high-frequency routes, smart-card and QR ticketing, and battery-electric or hybrid vessels built for low wake and low emissions. Rather than competing with a city’s metro, it stretches the network across water that road and rail cannot easily cross, joining islands, riverbanks and harbour districts into one integrated system.
Kochi: India’s first water metro
The Kochi Water Metro, run by Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL), is India’s first and largest system of its kind. Its electric-hybrid boats link islands around Kochi with the mainland and with the city’s metro network. It has become the template other states point to, proof that a professionally run, integrated boat service can carry commuters reliably at scale.
Water metro projects across India
Following Kochi’s lead, several cities are planning or launching water-transport systems. Mumbai is looking at harbour and coastal routes, Kolkata at river services on the Hooghly, and states with significant waterways are weighing their own networks. The feed below tracks each project as it moves from study to service.
Latest water metro news
The stories below refresh on their own as we publish: new routes, boat orders, terminal construction and operator announcements from across the systems.
Frequently asked questions
Which is India’s first water metro?
The Kochi Water Metro, run by KMRL. It is a network of electric-hybrid boats integrated with the Kochi Metro.
What is a water metro?
A public boat-transit system run like a metro, with fixed routes, timetables, dedicated terminals and integrated ticketing, using modern electric or hybrid vessels.
Which other Indian cities are getting a water metro?
Mumbai and Kolkata, along with several states that have major waterways, are planning or studying networks modelled on Kochi.