If all goes according to plan, Bihar may soon have SkyTran a NASA product, as a mode of transportation in the state, which will run on magnetic levitation (maglev).
Urban Development and Housing Department (UDHD) minister Maheshwar Hazari had a meeting with officials of Nightshade Global Infra Private Ltd. on Monday. Nightshade Global is the company which has got the Intellectual Property (IP) rights to install ‘SkyTran’ in South East Asia.
So what is a SkyTran? It is pod like and hangs on a wire. The pod’s wire would be six metres above the ground with a diameter of an electric pole. Each pod will be able to accommodate four people. Nightshade Global Infra Private Ltd chairman and managing director, AK Prabhat Ranjan informed that, “It will also have very low electricity consumption of around 10 Kv, that too just for charging the pod.
Raj Gaurav who is the international business head of the company, added that SkyTran would move at the speed of 120-140km/hr with in the city, and in case of intercity journey, it would move at the speed of 240km/hr. This would greatly reduce the time taken up for transportation. He went on to say that,”It will be faster than mono rail and metro, and also cheaper because it 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.”
Now the question arises over how would an individual ride in the pod? Well, that is a very simple method. To request a pod, individuals would have to go to their closest SkyTran station and after entering the pod would simply press the location button of their choice. SkyTran’s computer system would then send its passengers automatically to their destinations.
“The system is the best replacement for ground transportation, especially in an 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 AK Prabhat Ranjan.
The SkyTran is sure awaited!
Last Updated on by Himani Rawat
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