Chennai Metro has invited tenders to prepare a feasibility report for implementing the ‘Water Metro’ project in the Buckingham Canal in Chennai.
Even though the government has changed in Tamil Nadu, the Tamil Nadu government is taking various measures to transform the capital city Chennai into a world-class city, including road, sea, metro, and air transport. The Tamil Nadu government had proposed the Water Metro project as a way to reduce traffic congestion in Chennai.
Accordingly, the Tamil Nadu government has taken forward the Water Metro project in the Buckingham Canal, the waterway that runs parallel to the Coromandel Coast and connects Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.
The Buckingham Canal, which travels 796 km through the coastal areas of Andhra and Tamil Nadu, runs for only 160 km in Tamil Nadu. This canal is currently facing severe damage due to encroachment and the discharge of sewage.
The Chennai Metropolitan Transport Authority has planned to restart boat transport in the Buckingham Canal, which served as a major waterway in the 19th and 20th centuries, after half a century.
Recently, as it was announced in the Tamil Nadu government’s 2026–27 budget that the government would ensure a refreshing dip in the Cooum and Adyar rivers, Chennai Metro has invited tenders to prepare a feasibility report to clean up Tamil Nadu’s Buckingham Canal and implement the “Water Metro” project, said to be the next chapter in the transport sector.
As a first step, the Tamil Nadu government is considering setting up a boat transport service over 53 km from Ennore to Mamallapuram. Following this, the Metro Rail company has now issued a tender to prepare the feasibility report for the project.
Last year, in 2023, Prime Minister Modi inaugurated the Water Metro project in Kochi, Kerala, at an estimated project cost of around Rs. 1,000 crore. India’s first Water Metro project is operating successfully.
Like a metro train, it has air-conditioned facilities and automated ticketing. Kochi Water Metro charges Rs. 20. While this project was estimated to take at least 5 years, expectations for the Water Metro have increased.