Urban ropeway for transport

The prototype of an urban ropeway that can negotiate curves and serve as public transport will be showcased for the first time in the city later this year.

The ropeway will have 8-10 seater cabins and have an average speed of 12.6 km per hour against normal transport speeds of 7 km per hour in Kolkata and 9 km in Mumbai and Delhi.

Commuters will use lifts to reach the ropeway cabins and disembark at designated points.

"Urban transport on a ropeway can become a reality soon for the first time in the world. We will showcase the prototype to the world by September-October this year," Conveyor & Ropeway Services director Rachana Mukherjee said.

She said, "We have invented and developed a 'curvo' ropeway in the last five years which will be showcased in one our factory premises.

"It is non-linear and can negotiate curves without detachment, an usual practice," she said.

"The prototype or demo will show how a 'curvo' ropeway can be used for urban transport on a 300-400 metre stretch," Mukherjee said.

She said that the 'curvo ropeway' has been patented in Europe, China and India.

Explaining it advantages, Mukherjee said that as an aerial form of urban transport it was much cheaper, cleaner and convenient to maintain on congested urban roads.

The capital cost to build a kilometre of the urban ropeway will be Rs 15 crore which was far less than flyovers, mono-rail or metro rail, she said.

She said West Bengal could become the first city to have a ropeway as urban transport if the government comes forward. "We are carrying out a detailed survey on certain congested major arterial roads like Sealdah, College Street and Park Street and will submit a complete plan to the state government," she said.

She claimed that Bangladesh has shown interest in the concept for using the concept at Dhaka.