Urban passenger ropeway to cost Rs 450 crore

The ongoing urban passenger ropeway system between Vaishali and Mohan Nagar Metro stations will cost Rs 450 crore instead of Rs 487 crore after the revised detailed project report (DPR). According to the Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA), the 5.1 km route of the ropeway will link Delhi Metro's Red Line, Mohan Nagar station with the Blue Line, Vaishali station. Vice-chairperson of GDA, Krishna Karunesh, said that the DPR is now ready. The estimated project cost now is Rs 450 crore. After getting approval from the government, the authority will float a global tender for selecting the contractor to execute the project. The winning bidder will have to invest around 60% of the cost, and the rest of the project cost will be shared by the Centre, UP agencies and GDA. The ropeway transport system is used in mountainous areas or mines, where the carriers are suspended on moving cables, powered by a motor system. The GDA has proposed the ropeway project to reduce the per kilometre construction cost, which is higher for metro connectivity. The DPR has aimed at four stations for the ropeway project, including Mohan Nagar, Sahibabad, Vasundhara and Vaishali. At both the starting and ending points, the ropeway will be connected to the metro stations by skywalks of 150 m, which will be connected by the GDA. It will be based on 27 pillars, and it will move over the Regional Transit System project alignment near Sahibabad. As per the DPR, the minimum travelling cost of the passenger will be Rs 20 and a maximum of Rs 30 for the entire distance. GDA has estimated that the ropeway project will be used by 80,000 passengers per week. Image SourceAlso read: Ropeway project to elevate Udaipur ranks under Smart City mission