Ending a wait that lasted more than a year, the AC fast ferry service connecting Kottayam and Alappuzha finally sets sail on Tuesday.
According to Shaji V. Nair, Director, State Water Transport Department (SWTD), the boat will be a twin-engine catamaran type with a total seating capacity of 120 seats including air-conditioning facility for 40 seats.
It will operate regular passenger services connecting Kottayam and Alappuzha, besides operating conducted tours to the various backwater destinations during the non-peak hours.
“The ferry, with an average speed of 10 knots, will take only two hours to cover the 32-km-long water route between Kottayam and Alappuzha. The overall running time could be improved by 15 to 20 minutes further once the season of water hyacinths comes to an end,” he said.
The boat will depart the Kodimatha boat jetty in Kottayam at 7.30 a.m. everyday to reach Alappuzha by 9.30 a.m. From Alappuzha, it will proceed to Kumarakom via Muhamma and Pathiramanal to reach the destination by 1.15 p.m. and return by 4 p.m.
The boat will operate its last service from Alappuzha by 5.30 p.m. to reach Kottayam two hours later.
It will have five stop-overs en route to Alappuzha.
The ticket fares between Kottayam and Alappuzha have been fixed at ₹50 for non-AC class and ₹100 for the AC passengers.
The fare for the conducted tours to Kumarakom will be ₹200 for non-AC and ₹300 for AC.
New service
The new service takes a cue from the recently launched Vaikom-Ernakulam fast ferry service, which has been a huge success with a daily average income of ₹15,000.
Transport Minister A.K. Saseendran and Public Works Department Minister G. Sudhakaran will be attending the inaugural function of the service. After the inaugural service to Kottayam, the boat will start daily operations by next week.
