Govt plans ropeways, funicular railways

Road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday unveiled extensive proposals for the development of India’s transportation infrastructure, including ropeway and funicular railway projects, as well as 500 new bus terminals to support the goal of having 200,000 electric buses.

- Saurav Anand, Subhash Narayan

Gadkari told an event organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) that his ministry has placed proposals for 260 ropeway and funicular railway projects worth ₹1.3 trillion. In addition, plans have been drawn up to establish 500 bus depots, for which the minister sought investments from prominent industrialists.

Gadkari outlined plans to revamp the public bus system by implementing a new boarding and alighting process. Under this system, passengers would enter and exit buses through the front door, using smart cards instead of traditional tickets.

The minister also said he intends to introduce a scheme that would encourage private companies to participate in running public buses, citing the success of the London transport model, where nine operators handle bus services.

Highlighting the economic benefits of electric buses, Gadkari said the cost of operating a diesel bus is ₹115 per kilometre, while recent tenders have resulted in prices as low as ₹39 for non-AC buses and ₹ 41 for AC buses running on electricity.

To support the adoption of electric buses, the ministry of power’s Convergence Energy Services Ltd manages the national e-Bus programme, which pools the demand for electric buses from state governments and conducts the tendering process, ultimately reducing costs.