VARANASI: Varanasi is set to get India’s first urban public transport cable car system, in a major push to improve connectivity and ease traffic congestion in the densely populated temple city.

The proposed 3.75-km to 4.2-km cable car corridor will connect Varanasi Cantonment Railway Station with Godowlia Chowk, a key gateway to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple and Dashashwamedh Ghat. The project is expected to bring down travel time between the two points from the current 45–60 minutes to around 16 minutes, providing an alternative

The project is being taken up under the Centre’s Parvatmala programme, with an estimated cost of Rs 645 crore to Rs 815 crore to road transport through the city’s congested streets.

The cable car network will have five stations - Varanasi Cantonment, Kashi Vidyapeeth, Rath Yatra, Girja Ghar and Godowlia Chowk. More than 150 cable cars, each capable of carrying up to 10 passengers, have been planned. Built using Swiss and Austrian cable-car technology, the network is designed to handle up to 96,000 passengers a day.

The project is being taken up under the Centre’s Parvatmala programme, with an estimated cost of Rs 645 crore to Rs 815 crore. Once operational, the cable car is expected to provide faster access to some of Varanasi’s busiest commercial, transport and religious hubs while offering an extra mode of public transportion for the residents and visitiors.