Skybus Metro

Skybus Metro
A Skybus Metro car at a station
A Skybus Metro car at a station
Overview
Area servedMargao, Goa
Transit typeSuspended railway
Number of lines1
Number of stations1
Operation
Began operationNever entered service
Operator(s)Konkan Railway
Rolling stockBEML
Train length18.5 m (61 ft)
Technical
System length1.6 km (0.99 mi)
Minimum radius of curvature100 m (330 ft)
Top speed100 km/h (62 mph)

The Skybus Metro was a prototype suspended railway system by Indian technologist B. Rajaram with the BEML[1] and Konkan Railway[2] which is patented by the Indian Railways.[3] The system consisted of an elevated track with the cars suspended below, similar to the Wuppertal Schwebebahn or H-Bahn systems in Germany.

A 1.6 km (1 mi) test track in Margao, Goa started trials in 2004, but on 25 September, one employee was killed and three injured in an accident, ending the trial.[4] The test track was supposed to be extended to 10.5 km, but no progress was made after the accident.[5] In 2013, the Konkan Railway dismantled the line.[6]

  1. ^ "First prototype of sky-bus to be unveiled in Goa". The Times of India. 2 April 2003. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  2. ^ "Konkan Rly to invite EOI for Sky Bus metro". Deccan Herald.
  3. ^ "Sky Bus Metro track gets US patent". The Times of India. 9 February 2004. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  4. ^ Sastry, Anil (23 December 2004). "National : Sky Bus Metro resumes after 3 months". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 14 January 2005.
  5. ^ Pandey, Vineeta (15 March 2005). "Skybus project: Fantasy or reality?". The Times of India. Retrieved 7 June 2006.
  6. ^ "Its final! Konkan Railway Corporation to scrap skybus project - The Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 30 May 2015.