Here’s some good news for residents of Kalyan and Vasai in Maharashtra. Come December, the travel time between the two cities will likely be reduced to 70 minutes, thanks to the new Inland Water Transport (IWT) system the government plans to implement. On Monday, the Thane Municipal Commissioner (TMC) announced that the first ferry from Kalyan-Thane to Vasai is expected to go operational from December and would cover a distance of 47-kilometre between the two places.
The Inland Water Transport is slated to be implemented in three phases by the Thane Municipal Corporation. As per a Hindustan Times report, the first phase will cover the area between Vasai to Thane to Kalyan, while the second phase will be implemented from Thane to Mumbai, and the third phase from Thane to Navi Mumbai. What makes the project for an inland water transport system viable in the Mumbai metropolitan region are the presence of dense Ulhas river, Thane creek and the coastal network.
The corporation has already submitted the detailed project report (DPR) for the first phase to the Central government and is expected to get the approval for it in this week.
The first phase, slated to cost Rs 600 crores, will cover a distance of 47 kilometres and reduce the travel time between the two cities from two hours to just 70 minutes. The fare for the ride will start from Rs 29 initially. The project will require the deployment of 10 jetties across Vasai, Mira Bhayander, Thane and Kalyan. However, as per the daily, the corporation plans to have three jetties at Nagla, Kolshet and Parsik first.
The route on the first phase will be termed as National Waterway 53. The corporation decided to extend the first phase of the waterway to Vasai and Mira Bhayander since the Thane creek runs into the Arabian Sea.
