Pod cars to connect from your area in Thane till jetties

TMC plans to extend Personal Rapid Transit System to Mumbra along with Thane in the first phase

If the municipal corporation’s plan materialise, you can take a pod car to the jetty.

he corporation had proposed the PRTS or pod car system to generate the last mile connectivity in the city.(HT FILE)

As the city is on its way to get a water transport system, the civic commissioner has asked officials to connect the upcoming Personal Rapid Transit System to the jetties and multimodal hub at Kolshet.

This will help residents in reaching the jetties easily.

Small pod cars will drop people at the jetties from where they can take a ferry. The network of pod cars will be extended to Mumbra along with Thane in the first phase. The project will be implemented on public private participation (PPP) basis.

Sandeep Malvi, public relations officer of TMC, said, “The presentation of the 25km PRTS network map was held on Friday. Small pod cars will be able to carry four to six passengers and will operate at a speed of 40 km/hr. Once the network is finalised, the work on feasibility study of the project will begin. We plant to complete the entire project in the next two and half years.”

On Friday, civic chief Sanjeev Jaiswal was given a presentation of the final network and alignment of the Personal Rapid Transit System and the internal metro. He proposed certain changes and demanded a final presentation. The corporation plans to set up the PRTS and internal metro system in the next two and half years.

The corporation had proposed the PRTS or pod car system to generate the last mile connectivity in the city.

An official requesting anonymity said, “The pod cars will also ply in Mumbra, apart from Thane city, in the first phase. The main metro line will connect Thane and Mumbai through Eastern Express Highway. The internal metro will connect the arterial city roads to this main metro line while the PRTS will connect to internal metro and also the water transport.”

The PRTS network can be set up anywhere from footpaths, public gardens till housing complexes. The corporation has also proposed a 28-km internal metro line with 22 metro stations. The line is supposed to connect the internal roads of the city which the main Wadala to Thane metro line does not connect.

The commissioner has asked officials to set up PRTS stations near the jetties and the multimodal hub at Kolshet so that residents will have a smooth travel.

The proposed route is from the proposed new Thane station, Modella check naka, Wagale Estate Road No. 22, Lokmanyanagar TMT depot, Devdayanagar, Shastrinagar, Upavan lake, Pokharan Road no. 2, Gandhinagar water tank, Dr. Kashinath Ghanekar theatre and then to other parts of the city.

WHAT IS PRTS

The PRT system, also known as metrino, is a driverless vehicle  or pod cars which can accommodate two to six people. The pod cars run along a pre-determined course using power. The TMC is planning a 30-km pod car network which can connect residential buildings to the metro and also operate in far-flung areas such as Kalwa and Mumbra to establish the last mile connectivity.

Present status: Work on finalizing the route in process. TMC plans to get all the approvals by February and issue work orders by March

THE INTERNAL METRO PROJECT

The city will have an internal metro line of 28 km and 22  stations. This metro line will connect the areas which are not connected by the MMRDA metro project. The metro will be operated in   Wagale Estate, Manpada and Pokharan Road and will also connect the old and new Thane stations.