Varanasi ropeway: route, stations, status and faresVaranasi ropeway: route, stations, status and faresवाराणसी रोपवे: रूट, स्टेशन, मौजूदा स्थिति और किराया

The Kashi ropeway is a 3.75 km aerial cable-car line with five stations, running from Varanasi Cantt (Varanasi Junction) railway station to Godowlia Chowk. The Prime Minister laid its foundation stone on 24 March 2023, when the project cost was put at about ₹645 crore. Later reports put the full contract, including 15 years of operation and maintenance, at about ₹815 crore.

It is planned as a transit line rather than a tourist ride: officials project 90,000 to 100,000 passengers a day once it runs at full capacity, most of them residents and pilgrims moving between the railway station and the old city. Hindi reports describe it as India's first urban public-transport ropeway and among the few in the world, alongside systems in Latin American cities.

The end-to-end ride is planned at about 16 minutes. By road the same stretch can take close to an hour in peak traffic, because the route passes Lahurabir, Rathyatra and the lanes around Godowlia, where four-wheelers are often restricted.

• Length: 3.75 km (some reports round it to about 4 km)
• Stations: five, of which four are for passengers
• Cabins: 148 gondolas of 10 passengers each, per August–September 2026 reports (earlier figures of 150–153 also appear)
• Design capacity: about 3,000 passengers per hour in each direction
• Planned operating day: about 16 hours
• Travel time: about 16 minutes end to end; about 6.5 minutes from Cantt to Rathyatra

The line runs roughly south-east from the railway station towards the river. Station names below follow recent Hindi press reports and project descriptions; signage may differ slightly when the line opens.

• Varanasi Cantt: the terminus beside Varanasi Junction railway station, for arrivals by train and from the Cantt bus stand
• Kashi Vidyapith: near Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith and the Bharat Mata Mandir
• Rathyatra: the busy crossing on the way to Sigra, Lanka and the southern ghats
• Girja Ghar (Church): a technical station where the line turns; reports say passengers will not board or leave here
• Godowlia: the terminus at Godowlia Chowk, the gateway to Dashashwamedh Ghat and the Kashi Vishwanath Dham

The Varanasi Development Authority (VDA) handed the project in December 2021 to National Highways Logistics Management Ltd (NHLML), a company under the National Highways Authority of India, which manages it. Construction is by Vishwa Samudra Engineering with the Swiss ropeway maker Bartholet, whose engineers are supervising installation. The contractor is to operate and maintain the system for 15 years.

Reports describe European-standard equipment, a SCADA control room, backup power, fire safety systems, CCTV, and lifts and escalators at stations for elderly and disabled passengers. Ticketing is planned to be digital.

Trial runs began in 2025 on the priority section from Cantt to Rathyatra. In late August 2026 Amar Ujala and Patrika reported that flooring and steelwork were still under way at Godowlia station, and that the full load trial of all 148 gondolas, which must be repeated at least four times, had been pushed to after Raksha Bandhan because of the monsoon and Sawan crowds. A late-September opening was mentioned at the time.

The most recent report found, from Times Now Hindi on 25 September 2026, says the first three stations are complete, the last two are nearly finished, and trial runs and load testing are continuing. It gives the expected inauguration as November 2026, around Dev Deepawali (24 November 2026). No official opening date had been notified as of 27 September 2026, and the target has moved several times since the original August 2025 goal.

For travellers, the practical point is simple: do not build a plan around the ropeway until the operator announces a start date and timetable. When it opens, expect queues in the first weeks, and possible restrictions on large luggage, which have not yet been announced.

No fare has been officially notified. The figures below are estimates published in the press in September 2026 and may change before opening. Authorities have said only that fares will be kept affordable for daily commuters as well as visitors.

• Cantt to Kashi Vidyapith: about ₹30 (reported estimate)
• Cantt to Rathyatra: about ₹40 (reported estimate)
• Cantt to Godowlia: about ₹50 (reported estimate)

For a visitor arriving by train at Varanasi Junction, the ropeway will replace the slowest part of the journey. The Cantt terminus is beside the station, so you can step off a train and ride over the traffic to Godowlia.

From Godowlia Chowk it is a short walk down Dashashwamedh Road to Dashashwamedh Ghat, where the evening Ganga Aarti is held, and to the gates of the Kashi Vishwanath Dham. The last stretch is on foot in any case: vehicles are restricted around Godowlia, and the temple lanes are pedestrian only. Plan for crowds on this walk on Mondays, in Sawan and on festival days.

Kashi Vidyapith station also serves visitors to the Bharat Mata Mandir, the temple dedicated to Mother India that holds a large relief map of the subcontinent carved in marble instead of an idol. It is otherwise an awkward stop to reach by road from the ghats, so the ropeway makes it an easy detour on the way to or from the railway station.

Rathyatra station is useful for the southern side of the city: from there an e-rickshaw or auto reaches Sigra, Lanka, BHU and Assi Ghat. The ropeway does not go to Sarnath or the airport.

Until passenger service begins, Cantt to Godowlia is by auto-rickshaw, e-rickshaw or app cab, usually to the edge of the restricted zone and then on foot. Allow 30–60 minutes depending on the time of day. If you are visiting around Dev Deepawali, check the news for an inauguration date and for any temporary closures or traffic diversions that come with it.

This page will be updated when the operator notifies fares, timings and an opening date.