Cruise service from Gateway of India to Belapur will start from February 7. Passengers traveling between South Mumbai to Belapur (Mumbai to Belapur) will have the option of fast travel. Through this cruise, the journey of passengers will be completed in just 1 hour.
It takes more than 2 hours to complete the journey by road. The port has allowed Nayantara Shipping Company to operate cruises on the route on a trial basis. After starting the service, the company has to report the number of ferries and passengers to the port. Depending on the number of passengers, the company will be allowed to operate cruises on other routes from the gateway.
Expecting a good response
A few months back, the company had talked about starting a cruise service between Belapur, JNPT, Elephanta from the Domestic Cruise Terminal (Bhau Chak). But people did not show much interest in traveling by cruise as there was not enough transportation facility for the passengers to the cruise terminal. As a result, the company had to suspend daily cruise services from the terminal.
Currently, the company is counting votes from the terminal only on Saturdays and Sundays. The company, suffering from lack of passengers, had sought permission from the administration to start the service from the Gateway of India instead of the terminal. The company expects a good response from the passengers as there are plenty of transport options available near the Gateway of India.
350 as fare
Passengers will have to spend Rs 350 to complete the fast journey by sea. According to Rohit Sinha, director of Nayantara Shipping Company, this vessel has been designed keeping in mind the convenience of passengers in water taxis. Around 200 passengers can travel in this ship at a time.
An air-conditioning system has also been arranged in the ship to keep the passengers cool during the water transport. It costs Rs 250 to travel in the lower deck of the cruise and Rs 350 to travel in the upper deck.
This cruise is the first high speed boat in the country to run through the Gateway of India. According to Rohit, until now passenger boats were manufactured in the country which ran at a speed of 7 to 8 nautical miles, but he has built the fastest boat in the country which runs at 16 nautical miles in Goa.
‘Such’ will be the schedule
According to the cruise company, only one cruise ferry will be available on the route in the initial phase. The cruise will depart from Belapur at 8.30 am. The cruise will reach Gateway of India at 9.30 am. The boat will depart from Gateway at 6.30 PM and reach Belapur at 7.30 PM.
According to the company, they currently target office workers who commute daily between Mumbai and Belapur. The number of rounds will be increased after the public interest increases.
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