If everything goes well, Bihar may soon have 'skyTran', a NASA product, as a mode of transportation in the state, which will run on magnetic levitation (maglev).

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Urban Development and Housing Department (UDHD) minister Maheshwar Hazari on Monday had a meeting with officials of Nightshade Global Infra Private Ltd , the company which had got the Intellectual Property (IP) rights to install 'skyTran' in South East Asia.

'skyTran' would be pod like, hanging on wire (elevated magnetic track), which would be six meter above the ground. Its diameter would be equal to that of electric pole. Each pod would accommodate four persons, informed Nightshade Global Infra Private Ltd chairman and managing director, AK Prabhat Ranjan, adding, "It will also have very low electricity consumption of around 10 Kv, that too just for charging the pod."

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Raj Gaurav, international business head of the company, while talking to TOI further informed that skyTran would move at a speed of 120-140km/hr within the city, and in case of intercity journeys, would move at the speed of 240km/hr, reducing the transportation time to a great extent.

"It will be faster than mono rail and metro, and also cheaper because its layout costs Rs 90 to 120 crore/km. On the other hand, in case of metro and mono rail, the cost comes around Rs 250 to 500 crore/km."

To request a pod, riders would have to go to the closest station and after entering the pod, would simply press the button of their choice. SkyTran's computer system would then send its passengers automatically to their destinations.

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"The system is best replacement for ground transportation, especially in unplanned city like Patna. It consists of a network of computer-controlled 4 seated vehicles, functioning on Magnetic Levitation (MagLev) technology rapid transit system. The best thing is that it would be cheaper than other mono rail and metro, because its maintenance and cost of running is low. It hardly consumes any electricity", added Ranjan.

Appreciating the concept, Hazari said it would help in achieving the chief minster's dream to reach the capital city in less than five hours from any part of Bihar. "This NASA product would definitely put Bihar's name in the global league in terms of best transportation system."

As of now, the company had been asked to produce Technology Demonstration System (DTS), which would be done in fifteen months.