Delhi is set to launch its first Yamuna cruise service on the 5km Sonia Vihar–Jagatpur stretch, giving residents and visitors a new way to experience the capital’s riverfront. The Namo Yamuna River Safari will offer 40-minute rides at a fare of Rs 500 per person, with each boat carrying up to 30 passengers.
Union minister for ports, shipping and waterways Sarbananda Sonowal is scheduled to inaugurate the service at Sonia Vihar in the presence of lieutenant governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu and chief minister Rekha Gupta. The initiative is being spearheaded by the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) under the Union ministry of ports, shipping and waterways.
The cruise will operate between Sonia Vihar and Jagatpur, covering approximately 5km of the Yamuna. The service is being introduced as part of efforts to develop the river as a recreational and tourism destination in Delhi. Visitors are expected to get views of the city’s skyline and heritage from the water, while the service will create a new leisure activity along the river.
The vessels will be electrically powered, presenting the cruise as a clean-energy application for inland-waterway navigation. The boats will also carry safety equipment, including life jackets and public announcement systems, according to the report.
Trial runs were conducted in October in the presence of senior officials from IWAI and the Delhi government. The trials preceded the public launch and were intended to assess the operation of the service on the selected river stretch.
The project uses a small section of National Waterway-110, the Yamuna waterway designated under the National Waterways Act, 2016. The designated waterway extends for around 1,080km from Jagatpur in Delhi to Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh. The new service will therefore begin as a limited recreational operation within a much longer waterway system.
The fare and capacity indicate that the service has been planned primarily as a short recreational ride rather than a mass public transport operation. Each trip will last about 40 minutes, and the maximum capacity of 30 passengers will limit the number of visitors carried on each sailing. The authorities have not provided further operational details in the supplied report, including the daily number of trips or the service timetable.
The launch marks the first cruise service on the Yamuna in Delhi and places river-based tourism within the city’s broader efforts to create recreational uses for the waterway. The next operational milestone will be the commencement of passenger rides on the Sonia Vihar–Jagatpur route after the inauguration.
