PM Narendra Modi is set to visit Varanasi on 24 March to lay the foundation for the country's first urban transport ropeway in Kashi.

Modi during one-day visit to his Parliamentary constituency will also lay the foundation stone of 25 projects worth Rs 1,450 crore while inaugurating Rs 200 crore projects for the people of Kashi.

Varanasi Ropeway

In a move to decongest road traffic, a ropeway service is coming up in Varanasi to provide the last mile connectivity to commuters in the city.

The 3.8-km ropeway link will connect Varanasi’s Cantonment Railway Station and Godowlia Chowk.

Currently, the journey through one of the most congested stretches in the city takes about 60 minutes during peak hours which will be reduced to about 17 minutes post completion of the ropeway, thus, helping ease the pressure on the existing transport infrastructure.

The National Highways Logistics Management Ltd (NHLML), a subsidiary of National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), had invited bids for the first ropeway project for city commuters, in India, in May 2022.

India Firm

An Indian firm, Vishwa Samudra Engineering and its technology partner Bartholet Maschinenbau AG of Switzerland have bagged the Varanasi ropeway project.

 The company quoted a bid price of Rs 815.6 crore, which is 17 per cent higher than the estimated bid price.

The contract order includes operation and maintenance of the project for 15 years.

The ropeway will be developed on Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM) wherein 60 per cent of the project cost will be paid as a construction support during the construction period and the remaining 40 per cent will be paid as annuity during the operation and maintenance period. 

Specifications

The connectivity project has been designed with a maximum capacity to carry 3,000 passengers per hour per direction (PPHPD) with a total operation time of 16 hours per day. It is capable of carrying a passenger load of about 96,000 passengers per day in both directions.

Around 153 gondolas or cabins will be deployed on this stretch and each gondola will have the capacity to carry 10 passengers.

As per the design, five stations will come up on this corridor at Varanasi Cantonment, Vidya Peeth (Bharatmata Mandir), Rath Yatra, Girja Ghar and Godowlia chowk.

Girja Ghar would only be a technical station. Boarding Deboarding will not be allowed at Girja Ghar.

A total of 30 towers will be built for the ropeway and the height of the towers will vary from 10 metre to 55 metre.

The Uttar Pradesh government is acquiring the land for stations and towers. It is also shifting the utilities infringing with the ropeway alignment.