The lightest form of the metro is being thought of, for the twin townships of Kalwa and Mumbra; the trains run on rubber tyres with overhead wires to draw power and are smaller than conventional Metro trains
What is lighter than the Light Metro Rail or the Chhota Metro that is coming up at Thane? A Metro Neo. It is learnt that Thane planners are thinking of proposing a Metro Neo, which is a tram version, the lightest form of the Metro, for the twin townships of Kalwa and Mumbra, in Thane city limits. Thane Municipal Corporation officials, however, said that it was just a thought at this stage.
Metro Neo is suitable for places where the traffic demand is around 8,000 passengers one way in peak time
The Central government has been encouraging lighter forms of Metro in small townships to solve the public transport crisis. As of now Nashik and Swargate in Pune in Maharashtra, and Warangal in Telangana are the cities that are in the process of lining up for the Metro Neo.
Metro Neo is a no-frill Metro train project where trains run on rubber tyres with overhead wires to draw power and are smaller than conventional Metro trains. They just have a 10-tonne axle load capacity instead of the normal 17 tonnes and are suitable for places where the traffic demand is around 8,000 passengers one way in peak time. They cost 25 per cent of the conventional Metro and are cheaper than the Metrolite or a Light Rail Transit (LRT) Chhota Metro, which is 40 per cent of the normal Metro costs.
Sources said it is very similar to the electric tramway or an advanced version of electric buses that the BEST used to run in Mumbai at one point of time. As per the specifications drawn by the union ministry of urban development, the Metro Neo could run elevated or at-grade (at the same level) with a shared right of way, which means they could run parallel with road traffic with articulated electric coaches.
Praveen Papalkar, deputy city engineer (transport), Thane Municipal Corporation, however, denied that Metro Neo was being formalised, adding that there was no proposal formal or informal as yet. “The only development as of now is that an inspection report about it has been submitted,” he told mid-day.
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