After the bullet train, hyperloop and monorail, Mumbai may well be the testing ground for a new transportation technology in the country — Maglev.
The Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation (MRVC) is proposing to introduce the technology on the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT)-Panvel elevated fast corridor on a public-private partnership (PPP) model.
Sources said a Swiss-based company, SwissRapide AG, in partnership with an Indian company, had expressed interest in executing the project at a cost of nearly ₹13,347 crore.
Maglev is short for magnetic levitation and is in operation in Shanghai. The technology uses two sets of magnets to make the train levitate over the rails and propel it ahead, thereby eliminating the need for wheels or overhead wires. As a result, Maglev trains reach speeds of nearly 400 km per hour and are much quieter than any other mode of rail transport.
The proposal has been sent by the MRVC to the Railway Board and the State government for an in-principle approval.
The 55-km-long elevated line will be built with a spur to the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA). Sources said the proposal states that the train’s speed will be capped at 200 km per hour and will be able to complete the entire distance in 35 minutes.
The Swiss firm has proposed to run an eight-coach train with a carrying capacity of 2,872 passengers. It will have a headway of three minutes on the main corridor and 8.6 minutes for the NMIA spur.
Private investment is expected to cover the cost of construction, operation and running, but the government will need to foot the bill for land acquisition and utility shifting, which will be borne on a 50:50 cost-sharing basis between the State government and the Ministry of Railways.
The MRVC had earlier proposed the elevated corridor under its Mumbai Urban Transport Project 3A at an estimated ₹10,870 crore, but did not get Cabinet approval, considering the cost.
The minimum fare was pegged at ₹10 and maximum fare at ₹110.
