A hydrofoil service, similar to the one proposed a decade ago between Kochi and Kozhikode, would provide a high-speed, stress-free trip via the under-utilized waterways. Since inland and coastal waterways may be made operational from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod, the government may consider conducting point-to-point services connecting additional districts. Vessels with dual options can navigate the two waterway corridors, says former NATPAC director B.G. Sreedevi, who is now project director-cum-top-level expert at WAPCOS Limited, a Central government undertaking.
She further added, a regular helicopter service by private players would considerably help those from the Malabar region to reach Thiruvananthapuram and back the same day.
a Kochi-Kozhikode hydrofoil service that was aimed at providing high-speed waterway connectivity between the two cities and later to Thiruvananthapuram hit a dead end after a pair of Russian hyrdofoil vessels (each capable of carrying 146 passengers) that were shipped to Kochi in July 2016 failed to get safety certificate from the Indian Register of Shipping (IRS). Informed sources said the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) and Kerala Waterways Infrastructure Limited (KWIL) ought to get their act together to speed up development of the waterway corridor which could ferry both passengers and bulk cargo.
