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To reduce the travel time from Navi Mumbai to Mumbai and the strain on road and railway transportation, a passenger water taxi service was proposed. This is known as the CIDCO Water Taxi Mumbai to Navi Mumbai service.
The CIDCO water taxi Mumbai to Navi Mumbai is being developed on the Panvel creek, as part of the Eastern Waterfront project. The Nerul Passenger Water Transport Terminal is in the final stage of construction, and the boat and the catamaran services are expected to commence soon.
CIDCO water taxi Mumbai: Development
As part of the development of internal water transport plan, terminals and other infrastructure for water taxi Mumbai are being jointly built by the Mumbai Port Trust, CIDCO, and the Maharashtra Maritime Board at Bhaucha Dhakka (Thane), Nerul (Navi Mumbai) and Mandwa (Alibaug), respectively.
CIDCO water taxi Mumbai: Benefits
The opening of the Nerul Passenger Water Terminal will reduce the stress on roads and railway services. The CIDCO water taxi Mumbai service will be able to carry close to 300 passengers at a time.
“The Nerul Passenger Water Terminal, being developed on Panvel Creek as part of the Eastern Waterfront project, will reduce the stress on roads and railway services, and people of Navi Mumbai will have an alternative mode of travel to south Mumbai,” said Sanjay Mukherjee, VP and managing director, CIDCO.
The CIDCO water taxi Mumbai will cover the 11 nautical miles (approx.) distance between Bhaucha Dhakka and Nerul in 30-45 minutes through speed boats and catamarans. The pricing for the service is yet to be decided.
CIDCO water taxi Mumbai Map
CIDCO Water Taxi Mumbai: Not the first time
The CIDCO water taxi Mumbai connecting Navi Mumbai to Mumbai is not the first example of water transport in Mumbai city. In 1996, CIDCO, along with Mahindra & Mahindra and IL&FS, had launched hovercraft services that connected to Mumbai from Juhu Chowpatty and Belapur. While the former took 40 minutes, the latter took close to an hour. The tickets were priced at Rs 100 per trip which was considered too steep at the time. The project was shut down in 1998 due to losses.
Other water taxi projects
Recently, the Bombay High Court approved the construction of Maharashtra Maritime Board’s (MMB) proposed passenger jetties at Kelwa and Kharekuran and Ro-Ro jetty at Kharwadashri in Palghar and Thane districts. This was granted after the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) and State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) also approved of the project owing to the surety that very less destruction of mangroves will take place for the said project. However, the Bombay high court has directed the MMB to give an undertaking that it would comply with all terms and conditions mentioned strictly during the course of project construction.
FAQs
In addition to Nerul, where are the other water terminals being built?
In addition to Nerul, the water taxi Mumbai service terminals are being built at Bhaucha Dhakka (Thane) and Mandwa (Alibaug).
With this water taxi Mumbai service, how much time will it take to travel between Nerul and Bhaucha Dhakka?
The distance between Bhaucha Dhakka and Nerul will be covered in 30-45 minutes with the water taxi Mumbai service.
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