The Mumbai Metropolitan Region could get a 3.1-km elevated automated bus system linking the upcoming high-speed rail station in Virar with Metro Line 13 at Nalasopara, under a proposal being considered by the Vasai Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC).
The proposed Automated Guideway Transit (AGT) corridor would run from Sahakar Nagar in Virar East, near the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train station, to the Metro station in Nalasopara. It would cross the suburban railway tracks and could include one or two intermediate stops, according to officials and planners involved in the proposal.
The system is part of a local area development plan for the 463-hectare area around the planned Virar high-speed rail station. VVCMC is preparing the plan with consultant Tandon Urban Solutions Pvt Ltd and a Japanese team that includes the Japan International Cooperation Agency, which is involved in funding the bullet train project.
VVCMC Commissioner Prithviraj B P said the area around the bullet train station would need a connection to a local Metro station. Virar is largely residential, he said, and a direct public transport link could allow residents using the bullet train to travel closer to their homes.
Unlike a conventional Metro, the proposed AGT would use automated, driverless vehicles running on wheels along a dedicated guideway. The planners describe it as an elevated automated bus. Its guideway and supporting structures are expected to be narrower than those required for a conventional Metro, while the system is being considered partly because of cost and space constraints in the densely populated area.
The initial capacity is expected to be between 50 and 70 passengers per vehicle or trainset. Avani Shikhare, an architect and urban planner with TUSPL, said the system would draw on AGT models operating in Japan. The proposed corridor would connect the bullet train and Metro terminals, while a further connection to the suburban railway network at Nalasopara is also being examined.
Nalasopara station on the Western Railway line is expected to be the closest railway link. The extended platform at Virar station would be about 500 metres from the bullet train station, according to the planners. The AGT’s proposed east-to-west crossing over the railway tracks could potentially connect with the railway station as well.
Officials are also considering extending the corridor to about 17 km towards the Virar coast. If that option is pursued, capacity could be increased by adding more vehicles or coaches, potentially taking the system to 400 passengers or more. However, the route, capacity and technology have not been finalised.
VVCMC is expected to complete the draft local area development plan by early November and submit it to the Maharashtra government for approval. The AGT proposal will be considered as part of that process.
