India may soon introduce skybuses on select routes, here’s everything you need to know

India may soon get its first skybus soon on select stretches of Delhi and Haryana as union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari sees it as a way to reduce traffic and pollution in the nation’s capital and neighbouring states. While addressing an event organised by Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Gadkari revealed that the climate agenda is the highest priority for the government as economic growth with pollution is not a good strategy and he aims to introduce skybuses on select stretches. "I want to start skybuses (mass transit service) from Dhaula Kuan to Manesar and later extend it to Sohna to reduce traffic and pollution," he said, without providing more details.

What is a skybus

A skybus is a railway system that is quite similar to Metro but it consists of an elevated track with the cars suspended below. Designed by Indian technologist B. Rajaram, a skybus system is similar to the Wuppertal Schwebebahn or H-Bahn systems in Germany. The Indian government first started trials of skybus metro in 2004 but it was later ended as one employee was killed and three got injured in an accident.

Skybuses can travel at a speed of around 100km/h and use electric energy. If Gadkari’s plan to start Skybus metro from Dhaula Kuan to Manesar is successful, it will take around 24 minutes to cover the distance.

Apart from this, Gadkari also revealed that his dream is to reduce import of fossil fuels in India to zero and it is the government's priority to make green hydrogen from water. The minister also emphasised on the need to encourage use of ethanol for transportation purposes as it is economically cheaper, pollution-free and indigenous. "Ethanol is going to increase agriculture growth in the country as we will manufacture ethanol from rice," he said. Gadkari also noted that banning thermal power plants will not be good for the economy.

(with inputs from PTI)