Ferry crossings and water taxies to be organized on Moskva River

MOSCOW, July 5 (Itar-Tass) - Ferry crossings will be organized and
water taxies launched on the Moskva River soon. The Southern and Northern
river ports and moorages on the city's main artery will be rebuilt and
modernized, and so will be the infrastructure of the Canal named after
Moscow, including 18 hydro hubs.
The Moscow government has published a draft program for the
development of Moscow's transport system for 2012-2016. The city
authorities have plans to organize inter-modal passenger carriages on the
Moskva River, including ferry crossings and around 70 water taxies in the
next five years. Surface public transit routes will be corrected, and the
entire surface infrastructure will be linked to water.
In order to ease traffic on surface roads, the Moscow government
intends to organize passenger traffic on the river and streamline the
movement of cargo ships. A unified system of transportation and transfer
hubs will be formed by using water transport in Moscow and the Moscow
region.
Five inter-modal routes will be organized on the Moskva River in
2016 in order to unload surface roads, and the number of passengers using
these routes is expected to grow from 1.5 million in 2011 to 2.5 million
in five years' time.
The inland waterways of the Canal named after Moscow will be
reconstructed, the ports' technical fleet will be modernized,
communications and satellite navigation means will be developed and the
infrastructure of inland waterway will be created to develop tourist
business, water sports and recreation. The fleet of river ships will be
renovated.
Funds for the renovation and modernization of water transport
under the 2012-2016 program of development of Moscow's city transport will
come from the federal budget and partly from private investors.