Safety first for Kochi Water Metro

Kochi: The air-conditioned ferries and boat terminals to be constructed as part of Rs 750-crore Kochi Water Metro project will have state-of-the art safety features ranging from automatic passenger counting system (APCS) to modern communication and alarm equipment.

“We've specified a set of safety measures while inviting bids for boats manufacturer and also the terminal construction after analysing all possible risks," said a senior KMRL official. "The selected bidders should be able to meet them. They can, however, decide on the specifications."

The ferries will be equipped with an onboard system that automatically monitors passenger flow. The optical sensors will be mounted above the entry and exit doors of the boats and the terminals as well as ticket counters. "We can make real-time calculation on the number of passengers inside a ferry or a terminal at a given time," the official said. "There will be no ticket checkers, and the system will be handy to detect malpractices."  It will also help the authorities keep track of demand levels and make adjustments to boat services if necessary. To go with it, automatic fare collection (AFC) gates will be installed at every terminal entry and exit points.

"The boats will be equipped with GPS facility to facilitate their operation based on intelligent navigation system," he said. "The ferries, with steel body, aluminium hull and fibre reinforced decks, will be built as per strict technical safety specification. The passengers will be provided with advanced facilities including free WiFi access." 

The ferries will have modern communication and alarm system which passengers can use to directly contact the operator in emergency situations.
Under the phase one, a fleet of 23 electric-powered ferries would be deployed besides setting up 16 boat terminals. The tenders for the boats and five main terminals have already been floated.