Reaching Matheran from Neral could be a quick 20-minute affair, loaded with breathtaking views of the valley. The public works department has finally cleared the Neral-Matheran ropeway project, paving the way for the project to take off in next few weeks.

Under the Rs 150-crore project, cable cars will ferry tourists from Bhutivali village at Bhivpuri near Neral directly to the hill station. Private firm Matheran Ropeway Private Limited (MRPL) has been awarded the contract to execute the proposal.

Dilip Kothari, project manager for MRPL said, “The PWD clearance came as a big relief as we had to approach the Supreme Court to get the final go-ahead for this project. This will be one of the longest ropeways in India and will become a major tourist attraction near Mumbai.”

Kothari said the ropeway, once in place, can be operated throughout the year and will feature glass cars with transparent floors, providing exciting view of the valley as per a report in Mumbai Mirror.

The cable-based transport system will have a length of 4.7 kilometers. The vertical rise of ropeway would be 750 meters from bottom station level. “The ropeway will be divided into two sections, which would allow tourists to enjoy two types of cable cars at a single location. The first section, which will run for around 2.9 km, will feature continuous Gandola kind of cars with capacity of eight to 10 passengers,” said Kothari.

He said the second section will have reversible jig back ropeway, operating with two carriers that travel to and fro, for about 1.75 km that can carry almost 60 to 70 people at one go. “We are aiming to transport 500 people per hour to Matheran,” he said.

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