Ghaziabad plans ropeway system for local commute, feeder to metro stations

Ghaziabad: The Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) has planned to develop aerial “urban passenger ropeway” links, which will provide better short-distance mode

Ghaziabad: The Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) has planned to develop aerial “urban passenger ropeway” links, which will provide better short-distance mode of commute and also serve as feeders for the metro system in the city. Authority officials said that on Friday, they floated an expression of interest (EOI) for the preparation of a techno-feasibility study and a detailed project report (DPR) for the project.

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At present, the city has two metro links, which connect commuters from Vaishali to Anand Vihar and Dilshad Garden to New Bus Adda (Shaheed Sthal). The authority, in its EOI, has specified three routes – New Bus Adda to Ghaziabad railway station, Mohan Nagar to Vaishali, and Electronic City to Vaishali – for the ropeway project.

“During a recent meeting, the chief minister directed for finding alternate modes for local commute. So, we decided to go for the ropeway system and the cost per kilometre is estimated to be about Rs 35-70 crore. The EOI has been floated and once the DPR is prepared, it will be sent to the state government,” said Kanchan Verma, the vice-chairperson of the authority.

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.

Such ropeways or cable car systems are already in operation in Haridwar and have also been proposed for Ayodhya. A 16km ropeway route is also popular in La Paz in Bolivia.

“It is proposed for short distance commuting and will also serve as a feeder system for metro stations in the city. It is being thought of for two proposed extensions – Vaishali to Mohan Nagar and Electronic City to Mohan Nagar – will take time for construction. The ropeway system will help out local commuters,” Verma added.

In all, the Ghaziabad city has 10 operational metro stations.

Officials said that the New Bus Adda to Dilshad Garden route has no direct connectivity with the Vaishali metro. Likewise, the New Bus Adda has no further extension towards the city, besides which, many commuters willing to go to Vaishali metro station from Indirapuram and Vasundhara have to use their own vehicle or change autos.

“Commuters face daily hassles, and this is why the authority has planned the ropeway system which requires less funding and less space in terms of land than the metro. For instance, we cannot extend the New Bus Adda metro towards Ghaziabad railway station as the route has less space and is highly congested. Besides, there is also a flyover at the central verge. The ropeway will be more feasible and it will also be at a lesser cost than the per kilometre cost of metro system,” said Asheesh Shivpuri, authority’s chief architect and town planner.

The GDA officials clarified that the proposed ropeway system will be a “self-sustaining model” and will be developed on the basis of a public-private partnership model.