India’s Longest Ropeway Will Soon Connect Mumbai To Elephanta Over The Sea

Imagine riding across the Arabian Sea, in cable car, hovering over an incredible view of the east coast, in your line of sight are the Sewri mudflats coming to life with flocks of migrating flamingos. A smooth and comfy drive across the sea to a sparsely inhabited island just off the coast. Such a fantastical vision will soon be a reality, with the Mumbai Port Trust announcing the construction of a new, and the country’s first ever, connecting ropeway line between Sewri and the Elephanta Caves, in the Raigad district.

This 8KM line is proposed to have a few stops along the way, including a transit station at mid-point. The Mumbai Port Trust’s deputy chief engineer, PK Sinha, released a statement stating that the technicalities of the transportation, such as the capacity of the cars and the cable height, were being currently worked out and a pre-bid meeting was convened by the Trust, which was attended by a small number of conglomerates. The cable car is said to accommodate 20 people and the travel time is an approximated 40 minutes.

The Elephanta Caves are a UNESCO World Heritage site and are best known for its architectural splendour and archaeological significance. The caves are currently maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India and the rock-cut artwork has been dated to between the 5th and 8th centuries. Additionally, the new ropeway also offers quick and efficient transport to the island, which is also home to the highly acclaimed Elephanta Cultural Festival. The event, organised by the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation, is held over two days on the island and is filled with live music events and folk dance showcases.

The Mumbai Port Trust is currently concealing the assigned cost of the project which only makes us wonder about the possibly exorbitant amount that will be spent on its construction, and considering the current state of the country, there’s definitely better things we could spend such funds one. Regardless, it is true that a location that was only accessible by ferry will soon be a cable car ride away, and those who’ve always wanted to visit but dreaded the ferry journey, could now take the trip.

Representational feature image via Wikimedia Commons