They certainly look fantastical... like giant, futuristic caterpillars flying in the city air!
Gurgaon may just become the first city in the country to have Caterpillar Trains plying over its congested road traffic. If greenlit, they would form a citywide network of lightweight, elevated train coaches running at about 100 kmph on a track supported by poles bent into arches.
The idea was conceived by Ashwani Kumar Upadhyaya, general manager of Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS), and Emil Jacob, a PhD scholar at MIT. It won the popular choice and judges’choice categories at a global competition on innovations organised by MIT’s Centre for Collective Intelligence in August.
A neat pick from 500 global entries!
The duo got the chance to present the concept before Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as the chief minister. Says Upadhyaya, "I got a call from the CM's office, and gave a presentation before him at Haryana Bhawan."
Khattar later directed the civic authorities to look into the possibility of making Caterpillar Trains a viable mode of transport in Gurgaon.
These trains are like miniature trams that require only a five-metre-wide road to be set up, making it a suitable mode of transport near residential areas. The coaches have wheels below and above, giving it a caterpillar-like appearance.
Caterpillar Trains may soon become a reality in Gurgaon
The state government has now decided to explore its feasibility on four routes - Huda City Centre to Sushant Lok 1, Ambience Mall to Udyog Vihar via Cyber City, Iffco Chowk to New Gurgaon and Huda City Centre to Gurgaon-Faridabad road.
The lightweight cars can run on top of elevated rails supported by steel poles, or can also be suspended from the tracks. Explains Upadhyaya, "The weight, cost and size of the coaches is very little in comparison to metro. Also, unlike the metro, which relies on heavy pillars and corridors, these trains run on poles joined together to form an arch. So, there's very little land requirement."
Upadhyaya held meetings with Gurgaon deputy commissioner TL Satya Prakash and police commissioner Sandeep Khirwar to discuss a few possible areas for the corridor.
If greenlit, the next step would be a detailed project report, followed by a pilot run on any one of the four mentioned routes.
Speaking on the budget, Upadhyaya says a Caterpillar Train would cost Rs 10-15 crore per km, compared to a metro, which costs Rs 150 crore per km or more. The fare too would be much less than that of metro.
TL Satyaprakash, DC Gurgaon, confirms, “We are studying four routes currently. We have asked Upadhyaya to prepare any one of the routes as soon as possible.”
