Nagpur city authorities have completed a Maharashtra government-funded study on the feasibility of introducing a 'sky train' in the city.
The 'engineering alignment' study has pegged the project cost for the 'sky track' between Rs 80 crore and Rs 100 crore (Rs 800 million and Rs 1 billion) per km.
According to sources, the sky train was one of the several modes of transport for goods and services studied for the development of the city.
It was preferred over other modes of transport as it was found to be comparatively easier to implement and was found to complement the proposed international air cargo and passenger hub concept being promoted for Nagpur.
Under the first phase, the sky train is proposed to connect a 25-km stretch from the Kamptee Octroi Post to the air cargo terminus (a part of the Delhi-Hyderabad highway which cuts through the city). The consultants have estimated that the sky train between these two points would cost Rs 2,500 crore (Rs 25 billion).
The electrically operated high-speed, pick-up train will transport cargo as well as passengers and zip over three railway crossings and two flyovers in the city to cover the distance in 15 minutes.
The entire stretch, proposed in the first phase of the project, is free of any encumbrances and no private or public building will have to be demolished for it.
The Nagpur Improvement Trust and the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation had appointed Larsen & Toubro and Rambol as consultants to develop a rapid mass transit system for the city. The engineering alignment work was awarded to Dinesh Rathi and Associates.
Dinesh Rathi and Associates completed the geo-technical evaluation of the project recently.
In the next phase, the sky train is proposed to connect Ordinance Factory with Bhandara Road and Umrer Road with Amravati Road (the Mumbai-Kolkata, Delhi-Tamil Nadu routes).
The train coach, sources said, will have to be imported from either Korea, Canada, Switzerland or Germany.
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