'Metrino' pods set to connect Delhi, Manesar

NEW DELHI: In a move to beat the congestion on NH-8 between Delhi and Manesar, the road transport ministry has offered this stretch for the country's first 'Metrino' project. Under this project, small, fully automatic, driverless vehicles known as pods will travel suspended under an overhead network. The overhead network will be laid on the median of the highway stretch.

Announcing this on Thursday at a conference on logistic chains, road transport minister Nitin Gadkari said his ministry has tasked a private firm to carry out the study. "The company will start the project and will operate without any cost to government. We will only give them the central verge to build the pillars. It needs little land," he said. TOI has learnt that the ministry green-signalled the pilot project after several rounds of presentations by the Indian wing of Metrino Personal Rapid Transit. "This system is different from the traditional pod taxi. The cost for one km corridor is only Rs 40-50 crore against high cost involved in building Metro rail network. So, our fare would be close to what people pay for travelling in Metro trains," said Atul D Shirodkar, who is heading the project in India.

He added that survey of the stretch will start soon. "We will run it without government funding and will get foreign direct investment for this project," Shirodkar said.

Road ministry sources said Ghaziabad MP and Union minister V K Singh had also shown interest to introduce this system in Ghaziabad. Each pod can carry five passengers and can move at a maximum speed of 60 kmph within city limits.