MCG gets going on pod taxi, route to cover old Gurgaon

Moving forward on a proposal to introduce pod taxis between New Delhi and Gurgaon, the Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG) has invited expression of interest (EOI) for the project.

The MCG also proposed changes to the original route to include parts of Old Gurgaon which will increase the track length by another six kilometers.

The development comes two weeks after the Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari said work on the country’s first pod taxi project will commence in three months.

The minister had made the announcement after laying the foundation stone for new underpasses and flyovers in Gurgaon at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium complex in Sector 38 on September 11.

The EOI will be open for potential bidders till October 11 following which a tender will be floated the next day (October 12).

An EOI is a perquisite to a tender — it is used to shortlist potential bidders before finalising detailed bids for a tender.

A bidder will then be selected based on meeting the technicalities, required criteria and monetary quotation during the tender process.

Some of the technicalities applicable for bidders include a carrying capacity of over 3,000 passengers per hour and running the service at a speed in excess of 100 km/hr.

In its original route, a 12.3 km track from New Delhi-Haryana border to Subash Chowk via Rajiv Chowk on Sohna Road was approved. It will be later extended to Dhaula Kuan and Manesar on each side. The project is being built on a ‘design, build, finance, operate and transfer’ basis (DBFOT).

MCG though has proposed to extend the system and include a new route from HUDA City Centre Metro station to railway station in Old Gurgaon via Signature Tower Chowk, adding another six kilometers to the track.

MCG officials said since they have sole charge of laying the track and executing the project along the arterial routes of Gurgaon, the change in route was initiated to include parts of Old Gurgaon. The national highways authority of India is responsible for executing the project along NH-8.

Unlike, the rest of Gurgaon, which is partially covered by Delhi Metro or Rapid Metro, Old Gurgaon does not have many mass transport facilities. It relies heavily on intercity buses and un-metered autorickshaws.

“Within the next two months, modalities for drawing up a detailed project report will begin. Finalising of routes, project costs and completion date will be projected accordingly,” Amit Khatri, additional commissioner, MCG, said.

The project is expected to cost over Rs 800 crore, officials said.