NITI Aayog clears six proposals for high-tech public transport

July 28, 2017

The NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog has approved 6 transport proposals of the transport ministry exploring options to improve public transport. It includes high-tech mass rapid transportation technologies such as metrino, hyperloop, pod taxis, stadler buses, hybrid buses and freight rail road.
The proposals of the transport ministry were approved with a condition that the transport ministry conducts trial run of all these technologies and puts in place safety measures before starting operations commercially.
Following the go-ahead from NITI Aayog, the transport ministry has formed a six member committee, headed by former top official of Railways, to study safety parameters associated with these technologies and their best global practices.
Background
The ministry of road transport and highways had sought the approval of NITI Aayog to experiment and introduce six latest mass rapid transportation technologies. The new technologies are being explored by the Government as current public transportation is unable to resolve the increasing traffic crisis in the country.
Significance
These new technologies are path breaking and can alter the way of intercity travel in the country. The new technologies are being explored as current public transportation is unable to resolve the increasing traffic crisis in the country. Besides, some of them are more cost effective than the existing ones.
Hyperloop transportation mechanism: It is a pod-like vehicle is propelled through a near-vacuum tube connecting cities at speeds matching that of an aircraft.
Freight rail road: Under it elevated corridors will be built with rail lines where freight trucks can be placed and then they would move on rails at high speed, increasing freight quantity and reducing freight time.