Nashik’s Metro Neo gets cabinet nod, to run on rubber tyres

Nashik’s first-of-its-kind Metro will not run on metal tyres (technically known as rails), but instead have rubber tyres, as the Maharashtra cabinet on Wednesday

Nashik’s first-of-its-kind Metro will not run on metal tyres (technically known as rails), but instead have rubber tyres, as the Maharashtra cabinet on Wednesday cleared the mass transport system ‘Metro Neo’ for better connectivity across the city. Like all lines, the corridor will be elevated. The Metro’s swanky coaches will operate on electricity and battery and ply on elevated viaducts with state-of-the-art terminals.

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Brijesh Dixit, managing director, Maha Metro, said the project will be executed at an estimated cost of ₹2,100 crore and will be jointly implemented by Maha Metro, City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco) and Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC). The cabinet approved two corridors Shramik Road to Nashik Road, which is 18.45km long, and a 9.45km-long Gangapur to Mumbai Naka corridor in Nashik.

According to Dixit, the “unique” Metro in Nashik is the first in the world where electricity-run coaches will be plying under the mass transport system. He said the concept was designed to make the project “financially viable” in the tier-II city. “This has not been done anywhere. The coaches of Metro Neo will have the comfort of the Metro coaches, but will run on tyres and not rails. We had to come up with a new model to make it financially viable,” Dixit told HT. The Metro will have a capacity of carrying 8,000 commuters during peak hours.

The system could be upgraded to light rail transit (LRT) system subsequently, when the ridership goes up. “We can put rails on the viaduct and get new brakes to run on it,” Dixit said.