After much delay, the country’s longest river passenger ropeway in Guwahati is finally nearing completion.

The bi-cable jig-back ropeway, connecting the north and south banks of the Brahmaputra, is being constructed by Samir Damodar Ropeways Pvt. Ltd — a joint venture company floated by Damodar Ropeways and G.L. Construction — at a cost of Rs 56.08 crore.

An official source said the pre-commissioning trial run of the ropeway will be conducted shortly, which will be monitored by government officials, engineers and other agencies before setting it into motion for commercial use.

He said barring any last-minute glitch, the ropeway should be commissioned within a month.

The total length of the ropeway is 1,820 metres and the approximate travel time will be 7.2 minutes.

The project, which is being implemented under the supervision of the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority, suffered cost escalation because of delay in construction.

The construction was approved by the state government at a cost of Rs 28.17 crore on March 1, 2006. Work started in 2009 and the scheduled date for completion of the project was 24 months.

Work, however, came to a standstill after a well foundation on top of which the post holding the cable will be constructed tilted because of the 2010 floods.

Work gained momentum after the government earmarked additional funds in the budget for the financial year 2017-18 and a new well foundation was constructed.

The source said the ropeway will have two terminals — the lower terminal at Panbazar near the CJM Court and the upper terminal at Rajadwar village near Doul Govinda Temple in North Guwahati.

“Each terminal will have a passenger handling area, ticket counters, parking facility and public convenience area,” he said.

“The ropeway is a twin track, single haul, bi-cable double reversible jig back system with a capacity to transport 250 persons per hour,” the source said.

It will have two cabins and each cabin will have the capacity to carry 30 passengers plus one operator.

“The upper terminal will have parking facility for 70 cars and 80 two-wheelers and the lower terminal for 100 cars and 80 two-wheelers,” the source said.

He said Gangloff Cabin, Switzerland, was the cabin designer and supplier while the carriage and rescue system was set up by Garaventa AG, Switzerland.

“RITES Ltd was the project consultant and the safety certificate was issued by Garaventa AG, Switzerland,” he said.

Apart from being a major tourist attraction, this river ropeway will also be an alternative mode of transport for people commuting to and from North Guwahati.