Ghaziabad: Now, ropeway project to link Metro stations pegged at ₹450 crore

The distance between Vaishali and Mohan Nagar Metro stations will be covered in 20 minutes by ropeway

The proposed ‘urban passenger ropeway’ link between Vaishali and Mohan Nagar Metro stations will now cost ₹450 crore, instead of ₹487 crore, according to the revised detailed project report (DPR).

The 5.1km route will link Mohan Nagar station of the Delhi Metro’s Red Line with Vaishali station on the Blue Line. (Sakib Ali /HT)

Officials of the Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) said that the 5.1km route will link Mohan Nagar station of the Delhi Metro’s Red Line with Vaishali station on the Blue Line. The distance between the two Metro stations will be covered in 20 minutes by ropeway, the officials said.

“With minor revision, the detailed project report of the project is almost final now. The project cost is now ₹450 crore. Once it is approved by the government, we will float a global tender for selecting an agency to execute the project. The agency will make an investment of about 60% of the cost. The rest of the cost will be shared by the Centre and UP agencies, including the authority,” said Krishna Karunesh, authority’s vice-chairperson.

Ropeway is a transport system for ferrying goods or people especially used in mountainous areas or mines, wherein the carrier cars are suspended with the help of moving cables, powered by a motor system.

The GDA has opted for the ropeway project in order to reduce the per kilometre construction cost which is higher in case of a metro connectivity.

The DPR has proposed four stations for the ropeway at Mohan Nagar, Sahibabad, Vasundhara and Vaishali. At the two starting and ending points, it will be connected to the respective metro stations with the help of skywalks of 150 metres which will be constructed by the authority, the officials said, adding that the ropeway project will be based on 27 pillars, and will move over the Regional Rapid Transit System project alignment near Sahibabad.

According to the DPR, a passenger will have to spend a minimum fare of ₹20 and maximum of ₹30 for travelling the entire distance. It is also estimated that the ropeway system will be used by 80,000 passengers in a week.