Jewar Airport-Film City Pod Taxi Project: Deadline To Submit Bids Extended As Global Firms Seek Clarity On Key Issues

The Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority has extended the last date of submission of bids for its ambitious pod taxi project connecting the Noida International Airport in Jewar to Sector-21 Film City.

The authority has extended the deadline by one month to 10 September, to resolve the queries raised by prospective bidders.

Yamuna Authority had floated the global 'request for proposal' for the state-of-the-art pod taxi system on 1 July, with the deadline to submit preliminary bids set for 10 August and technical bids scheduled to open on 16 August.

The queries to be resolved by the public-private-partnership bid evaluation committee, will help companies gain clarity on various aspects of the project, before they participate in the global tender process.

The pre-bid meeting held on 19 July evoked good response, with a total of 11 firms, from both India and abroad, evincing their interest in building the proposed pod taxi project. 

Representatives from PRT UK, Larsen &Toubro, Systra France, Ultra PRT, Siemens, Tata, IRB Infrastructure, Intamin Transportation (Switzerland), Hyundai, Kalpataru and Invest India sought clarification on various aspects including concession period, moratorium, consortium formation, performance security, and fee revision.

Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) System

The PRT is a state-of-the-art form of public transport that uses small, automated electric ‘pod cars’ to provide a taxi-like service for individuals or small groups of travellers.

The pod cars run on a segregated guideway in order to ensure unhindered direct trips between origin and destination.

With high vehicle speeds and very small headways, PRT provides fast, individual, on-demand and point-to-point public transport with very short waiting times.

The Project

Earlier in March 2021, the authority had engaged Indian Port Rail and Ropeway Corporation Limited, a central government agency, to devise a detailed project report (DPR) for the pod taxi project.

After some modifications, the authority approved the final DPR in May 2023. The alignment of PRT starts from crossroad of Sector-20 and Sector-21 along the 100-m-wide road and has 12 stations en-route till it reaches Jewar International Airport.

The 14.6-km-long project will be executed at an estimated cost of Rs 641.53 crore on a design, build, finance, operate and transfer basis.

The authority will enter into a concession agreement with the concessionaire for 35 years, for operation and maintenance of the PRT system, including two years for the construction of the PRT system.

The pod taxi connectivity will not only provide non-stop transport link with film city from international airport, but also provide connectivity to various sectors like Sector-21, 28, 29, 32, 33, 34 and 35.

The pod taxi project is planned for completion by 2024, coinciding with the launch of the first phase of the Noida airport.

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has recently instructed officials to extend the pod taxi route until Greater Noida’s Pari Chowk.