World’s most futuristic public transport is coming to India, and will make its debut soon.

It will connect people to commute via ropeway connected driverless pods, and promises to decongest traffic problems for lakhs of office going commuters on the NH8. The project -- also known as Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) or Metrino -- is one of its kind globally.

12.3 km of rope travel

The pilot project, which will cost Rs 800 crore, will let passengers use India's first driverless pods - suspended on a ropeway - on a 12.3-km stretch from the Delhi-Haryana border to Badshapur via Rajiv Chowk in Delhi and IFFCO chowk and Sohna Road in Gurgaon.

The project will fall under the jurisdiction of the NHAI (National Highways Authority of India), and Rs 800 crore has been approved.

Pods and stations

A ministry official said there will be 13 stations on the stretch and five people can travel in one pod. "Initially, we are planning 1,100 pods and the system will be such that if one has to travel from station 1 to 12th, on a specific command that particular pod would reach the 12th station without any halt," an official who spoke about the project last month said. The ropeway system runs on electricity, and driverless pods come down at designated stations, thus shifting the traffic burden from the already congested roads.

Phases

The first phase plans connecting the 70-km stretch from Dhaula Kuan in Delhi to Manesar in Haryana to decongest NCR and ease traffic.