According to the official sources, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the long-awaited taxi service from Mumbai to Navi Mumbai. The PM will unveil and inaugurate the water taxi during the first week of his visit in January 2022. Along with the water taxi service, Mr. Narendra Modi will also unveil a new chemical terminal at the Mumbai Port Trust. The plan to start a water taxi service from Mumbai to Navi has been thought about for 30 years.
Thanks to being a part of the Central Government’s inland waterways initiative, the project will finally achieve its fruition. The project has been worked upon by cooperating with one central and two state agencies in India. These include the Mumbai Port Trust, Maharashtra Maritime Board, and CIDCO, who worked together to finish the long-awaited project. The MbPT handled the construction of the Domestic Cruise Terminal at Ferry Wharf in Mumbai, whereas CIDCO gave the finishing touches.
Official sources state that the new water taxi will transport commuters between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai via 2 jetties. Along with a stop at JNPT, another water taxi will travel between Mumbai and Rewas in Raigad District. Official plans suggest that the service has been handed over to private operators who will also calculate the fares. Sources suggest that fares for passengers from Mumbai to Navi Mumbai will range between INR 1,200 and INR 1,500.
Meanwhile, passengers who will travel from Mumbai towards the JNPT stop will likely have to pay INR 750. Company officials state that the water taxi service will operate from 8 am to 8 pm, 330 days a year. The company will suspend the water taxi service during the monsoon and presently has 4 types of vessels. These include vessels with 50-seats, 40-seats, 32-seats, and 14-seats, respectively, with a top speed of 25 knots each.
Infinity Harbour Services LLP states that the Maharashtra Government has allotted various routes for their water taxi service in Mumbai. These routes include travelling from the International Cruise Terminal to Elephanta and the Domestic Cruise Terminal to Rewas. Additionally, the water taxi can travel from the Karanjade, Dharamtar, Domestic Cruise Terminal to Belapur, Nerul, Vashi, and Airoli. The water taxi service will also include a route from DCT to the Khanderi islands.
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