an agreement with Kudumbashree, a women's self-help group, on 11 December 2016 to manage the metro station premises including ticketing, customer relations, housekeeping, parking management and running the canteens. KMRL stated that it would also hire transgender employees along with Kudumbashree. Boat service A boat service from Vyttila to Kakkanad, operated by the Kerala State Water Transport Department (KSWTD) was launched on 19 November 2013. It is integrated with the metro and was used for diverting traffic during construction of the metro. The boats were manufactured by Steel Industries Kerala Ltd, Kannur (part of Steel Authority of India Ltd). The boats complete the Vyttila-Kakkanad journey in approximately 25 minutes. In February 2017, the Kerala Government announced a plan for Kochi Water Metro service spanning 16 routes in Kochi. The service is expected to be completely operational by FY19. Criticism In January 2012, in response to the Kerala government's decision to have the Kochi Metro project go through a global tender, Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, of the opposition party the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)), accused Chief Minister Oommen Chandy of trying to oust the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). In early 2014, E. Sreedharan criticised Kochi Metro Railway Limited (KMRL) for its involvement in the re-tender for the procurement of coaches for the project, saying that this would result in a delay of six or seven months. Arayadan Muhammed, Minister for Power and Transport of Kerala, responded that KMRL called for the tender for the sake of transparency. In the earlier tender that the DMRC had floated, the sole bidder was Hyundai. The second tender was won by Alstom, which placed a lower bid. See also Transport in Kochi Kochi Water Metro Rapid transit in India References External links Mathrubhumi Kochi metro Train Review Video metro station How To Video Official website Official Facebook Page Mathrubhumi KMRL Mymetro Special Edition Kochi Metro Timings Standard gauge railways in India History of Kerala (1947–present)