 "Gadkari announces plans for aerial pods, e-buses to ease traffic woes")
Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Monday outlined a series of futuristic transport projects, including aerial pods and flash-charging electric buses, aimed at easing traffic congestion and modernising India’s public transport infrastructure.
Speaking to ANI, Gadkari said the government is exploring an aerial pod transport system between Dhaula Kuan and Manesar — one of the busiest road corridors in the National Capital Region. “We want to start a pod system in the air from Dhaula Kuan to Manesar because there is a lot of traffic on this road,” he said, adding that similar studies are underway in Bengaluru.
In hilly states like Uttarakhand and Jammu & Kashmir, the government is working on plans to connect mountains using vehicles like double-decker buses, he said.
Gadkari further mentioned that the government is working on flash-charging electric buses in Nagpur. “This bus (135-seater) will be executive class with TVs in front. The bus will have a speed of 120 kmph. It will stop for 30 seconds after every 40 kilometres, people will get off and get on. The bus will get charged in 30 seconds and will start again...The bus will be less expensive because it will require less battery power,” Gadkari told ANI.
He also said similar electric bus corridors are being planned for key intercity routes including Delhi-Jaipur, Delhi-Dehradun and Bengaluru-Chennai.
US like roads in two years: Gadkari
In the same interview, Gadkari also spoke about several key infrastructure projects underway aimed at enhancing connectivity. It includes bringing India's road at par with the ones in the United States, he said.
The projects in the pipeline are progressing rapidly. In another two years, you will be able to see that Indian road infrastructure will be similar to that of America,” Gadkari told ANI.
“Some people from America met me and said our infrastructure is better than America,” he said. He also spoke about several other infrastructure projects in progress, including 25 greenfield expressways, a 3,000-km highway to boost port connectivity, and ₹1 trillion worth of roads linking key religious tourism circuits.