Kochi (; Malayalam: കൊച്ചി Kochi) is a major port city in the Indian state of Kerala. The city is widely known as the commercial or economic capital of the state of Kerala.

The road infrastructure in Kochi has not been able to meet the growing traffic demand and hence traffic congestion is a major problem in the city. A comprehensive transport development plan has been included in the Kochi Masterplan hoping to improve the transport infrastructure. Kochi Metro, the rapid transit system for the city was inaugurated on 17 June 2017. A Suburban Railway system, intended to considerably ease congestion, is also to be built in the near future. Kochi bagged the city with most sustainable transport system award instituted by the Union ministry of housing and urban affairs in 2021. In April 2023, Kochi became the only city in the country to have water metro system along with the metro rail system after the inauguration of Kochi Water Metro. It is the first water metro system in India and the first integrated water transport system of this size in Asia.

Roads

Most roads in Kochi are under the control of the city corporation, State PWD and National Highways Authority of India. Many roads in the city follow a north–south direction with two east–west corridors.

Highways

Kochi is part of the North-South Corridor of India's National Highway System via the NH 544. NH 66, the seventh longest highway in India, connects Kochi with Navi Mumbai, via Kozhikode and Mangaluru on the western coast of India. The NH 544 originating from Salem connects Kochi with cities like Coimbatore via Thrissur and Palakkad and also connects with state capital Thiruvananthapuram and after merging with NH 66 termi at Kanyakumari. NH 85 is another highway, connecting Kochi with Dhanushkodi in Tamil Nadu via Munnar and Madurai. Two smaller national highways, NH 966B connecting to Willingdon Island and NH 966A, connecting NH 544 to Vallarpadom from Kalamassery. NH 544 has a bypass road connecting Aroor to Edappally junction. The city is also connected with several state highways like SH 15, SH 16, SH 41, SH 63, SH 66. The state government has constructed an expressway called Seaport-Airport Road running parallel to NH 544 bypass road at Maradu junction to Kalamasserry junction. Phase II, proposed an alternative road to directly to Airport. A second four-lane road called Infopark Expressway has been constructed from Seaport-Airport Road to Infopark, which is planned to develop into a east–west corridor in the future. The ever-increasing traffic congestion has necessitated the construction of flyovers at many key junctions on the national highways in Kochi. The works on Edapally flyover have been done and commissioned and a flyover has also been opened at Palarivattom junction.

City roads

Mahatma Gandhi Road is a arterial road and commercial high street in Kochi alongside which lies the CBD of the city. The Chittoor Road is the oldest arterial road that connects the city to northern suburbs like Chittoor, Pachalam and Vaduthala. Another major arterial road is the Marine Drive Road which extends southward as Park Avenue and Foreshore Roads and northward as the Marine drive bay road. The youngest arterial road is the Kaloor-Kadavanthra Road, constructed in 2002 as an effort to reduce congestion at MG Road and Chittoor Road and provide an alternative for commuters to reach the major southern junction of Kadavanthra from the northern junction of Kaloor. The city has only 2 east–west corridors, creating one of the most congested traffic at the stretch. The Sahodharan Ayyappan Road, the busiest and second most important arterial road connects MG Road to Kochi Bypass Road at Vytilla Junction at the southern side and the Kaloor Road connects Banerji Road to NH 47 at Edappally Junction. The stretch of Edapally – Aroor bypass road has turned out to be an important arterial road in Kochi . A third east–west corridor is planned connecting MG Road with NH 47 known as Pullepady-Thammanam road, for which first phase has started with construction of Pullepady Rail-Over Bridge.

The main railway line cut Ernakulam city into 2 halves which are interconnected with three rail-over bridges (ROBs), which are one of the major bottlenecks due to being narrow bridges.

Fort Kochi has the maximum number of roads, mostly narrow in nature, due to presence of several heritage properties and thickly populated areas. Indira Gandhi Road is the main arterial road in Willingdon island that runs parallel to western coastal side of the island connecting Ernakulam Wharf with NH 966B.

Public transport

For transport within the city, buses and cabs are available throughout the day. The city has a very fast and efficient bus transport system, mainly dominated by private operators=. The private buses offer no-frills travel within the city, forming a major backbone of public transport. However the reckless driving and competitive tendency among red-buses has been heavily criticised by the public. Despite its mounting public criticism on reckless driving, the punctuality and reliability of services often silence the critics to a great extent.

The state's public transport company, KSRTC operates intracity and intercity bus services in Kochi. In 2010, KSRTC started city services due to frequent complaints against private buses, which has been praised for its efficient and controlled services. Thiru-Kochi, A basic no-frills KSRTC service, has the same fare system as private buses. These buses are distinguishable by their blue-white livery and were funded under the JNNURM scheme. KSRTC also operates premium air-conditioned low-floor bus services using Volvo 8400 buses procured under the JNNURM scheme on some routes.

As of 2011, 630 intra-buses were authorised to operate inside the city. The city also caters to nearly 2100 long-distance private buses, which include 466 inter-city state buses.

Most of the buses run primarily on four major routes, known as the Big 4 routes, though there are 160 official authorised routes to operate connecting 60 destinations in the city and nearby suburbs. The most popular route is the Aluva-Fort Kochi Route, which covers almost all the city areas. There is no routing numbering system, rather all buses carry destination boards with important bus stops marked below.

The city has primarily five major bus stations:

Kaloor Bus station which is a major terminus used by privately operated long-distance buses and local red-buses. It is also a major stop for private mofussil services. KSRTC Central Bus Station in the south, which is exclusively operated by KSRTC inter-state/inter-city buses. Buses of neighbouring state transport corporations also operates their services from this bus station. KSRTC Jetty Station, located near Central Boat Jetty in Park Avenue, is used by KSRTC city and short-distance services. Fort Kochi Bus Terminus, located near Fort Kochi beach, is a major bus station for both private and KSRTC City services.

Vyttila Mobility Hub, a large integrated public transport terminus which was built at Vytilla to ease congestion within the city limits, acts as a converging point for various modes of public transportation like intra-city and long-distance buses, metro rail and boat services. The Vyttila stations of the Kochi Metro and Kochi Water Metro are situated at the hub.

On-street Taxi cabs are rare but can be easily hired from taxi stands located all over the city. Popular online taxi aggregation apps like Uber, Ola Cabs and others operate ride hailing services for taxis and auto rickshaws. Auto rickshaws can also be hailed on the street, and CNG (green and yellow/black) and electric (white and blue) autorickshaws are also becoming commonplace in the city.

Like many other cities, two-wheeler vehicles like motor bikes, scooters, cycles contribute 35% of the vehicle population in the city, which is extremely popularly among the locals. Kochi being a major financial and commercial center, there is a sharp rise in private vehicles plying on the city roads thereby contributing to road congestion.

Kochi Port

Being one of the safest harbours in the Arabian Sea, Kochi ranks among India's major seaports. It is the first transshipment terminal in India. The port, administered by a statutory autonomous body known as the Cochin Port Trust, offers facilities like berths for handling cargo and passenger ships, cargo handling equipment, storage accommodation, dry dock, bunkering facilities, and a fisheries harbour. Cochin Port regularly handles various international passenger cruisers. As of 2019, Spectrum of the Seas, is the largest passenger cruiser to call at Kochi. Kochi is the first home port in India to operate international cruises. The service was started in December 2009 and was operated by Louis Cruises with regular trips to Maldives and Sri Lanka.Kochi Port is the first international cruise home port in India Kochi Cochin News

A container transshipment facility, known as International Container Transshipment Terminal, Kochi has been commissioned at Vallarpadom. Being constructed in three stages, the first phase of the terminal was commissioned on 11 Feb 2011. This can handle cargo up to one million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) per annum. On completion of the third phase, the terminal will be able to handle 4 million TEUs of cargo per annum. The terminal is presently being operated by the Dubai Ports World (DPW), which will operate it for 30-years after which the control will come back to the Cochin Port Trust.

The Kochi International Marina is a marina in the city of Kochi. It is located in the eastern coast of the Bolgatty Island in the premises of the Bolgatty Palace, a 'heritage hotel'. The Kochi Marina is the only marina in India. It is owned by the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation. The marina provides berthing facility for yachts and also offers services like fuel, water, electricity and sewage pump-outs for boats. The marina is close to the international maritime route at the south west coast of the Indian Peninsula, with favourable conditions and minimum tidal variations throughout the year.

Airports

Kochi has an international airport, Cochin International Airport , which is about 25 km north of the city. Unlike most Indian airports (which are controlled by the Airports Authority of India), Kochi airport is owned by Cochin International Airport Limited, a public limited company owned by a large number of Non Resident Indians, major Indian corporations, and the government of Kerala (which holds a majority interest). It is thus the first international airport in India built without Central Government funds. Having a 3,400-metre runway, one of the largest in Asia, the airport is equipped to operate any type of aircraft. It currently is the fourth busiest International airport in India."Traffic Trends". Airports Authority of India. 2006. Government of India. Currently in expansion mode, the airport has been made ready to accommodate the super jumbo Airbus 380. The Airport is connected with most of the cities in the Middle East and Southeast Asia with nearly sixteen international flight carriers operating to the city. Apart from this, the city is well connected to all major metros and cities of India with seven domestic carriers operating nationwide air services. On 18 August 2015, it became the world's first fully solar energy powered airport with the inauguration of the dedicated solar plant.