Maha Metro would also set up state-of-the-art terminals along the corridor for picking up and dropping passeng... Read More

NASHIK: Swanky rubber-tyre coaches that run on electricity, battery-operated buses, dedicated corridors and state-of-the-art terminals. That is the look of the Light Rapid Transit System (LRTS) project, a first-of-its-kind in the country, to be rolled out in Nashik.

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has assigned Maha Metro to plan and roll out the LRTS project in Nashik city. Maha Metro is currently finalising its project feasibility report through a detailed survey in the city.

The survey was undertaken to take stock of various aspects, including technical and engineering parameters, riders. Maha Metro officials were in touch with Nashik Municipal Corporation while carrying out the survey.

The current plan is to run the coaches and buses in the same lane. The buses will act as feeders to the coaches. This project cost is estimated to cost Rs 1,500 crore and expected to be completed in four to five years.

"The model that we are planning to roll out in Nashik city would be an international benchmark. At present, no city across the globe has adopted this model where electricity-run coaches and buses ply under Mass Transit System. I am confident that once the project takes shape, it would be replicated in other cities," Brijesh Dixit, managing director of Maha Metro, told TOI.

Dixit said that the Nashik model will be cost effective, ecofriendly, self-sustaining and affordable.

Maha Metro officials said that three rubber-tyre coaches with a total carrying capacity of about 500 would be plying along a dedicated corridor. The coaches would operate on overhead electrical wires set up along the entire corridor.

"In congested zones of the city, the corridor would be elevated one so that there are no hurdles in the smooth movement of the coaches. In non-congested stretches, we would create dedicated corridor by erecting iron barriers on roads for the movement of the coaches.

"We will also introduce battery-operated buses to provide feeder services to the commuters. The buses would also be connected to the overhead electric wires so that the battery continues to be charged even when the vehicle is moving. The buses can even get out of the corridor and ply in other city areas if there is a need," Maha Metro officials said.

Maha Metro would also set up state-of-the-art terminals along the corridor for picking up and dropping passengers. They have identified six busy locations in the city where the project can be rolled out initially, including Nashik Road , Mumbai Naka, CBS, Gangapur Road, Satpur and Ambad.

"This model of the LRT project would be much cheaper than the conventional metro rail project. It would cost around Rs 35 crore to Rs 40 crore to create one km of the dedicated corridor under this model. It is about one-tenth of the cost of constructing one km of a metro rail project," Maha Metro officials added.

According to the officials feasibility report would take few more weeks to be completed. Thereafter, Maha Metro would undertake the task of preparing the detailed project report (DRP), which would be submitted to both Centre and the state government for their mandatory approvals. Maha Metro is a joint venture between the Centre and Maharashtra government to undertake metro projects in the state, barring Mumbai metropolitan region .

