On Wednesday (3rd September), a Facebook page named ‘The New India’ disseminated fake news about the Kashi ropeway and falsely claimed that the aerial cable car transit system is somehow more expensive than Japan’s maglev train.
The Facebook page boasts of 3.81 lakh followers and peddles pro-Congress propaganda regularly.
“The cost of Japan’s new Maglev train that runs at 310 mph is ₹616 crore ($70 million)…while the cost of 3.75km ropeway built in Varanasi is ₹800 crore,” it alleged.
A social media post claims that the cost of Japan's Maglev train, which runs 310 mph, is ₹616 crore, while the cost of a 3.75 km ropeway built in Varanasi is ₹800 crore.#PIBFactCheck
— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) September 4, 2025
✅ This claim is MISLEADING!
✅ The Maglev train being mentioned in the post does NOT run… pic.twitter.com/0zsGJP1YeG
In reality, the Maglev train project is much more expensive than the 3.75 km long ropeway connecting Varanasi Cantonment railway station to Godowlia Chowk.
In a tweet, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) informed, “A social media post claims that the cost of Japan’s Maglev train, which runs 310 mph, is ₹616 crore, while the cost of a 3.75 km ropeway built in Varanasi is ₹800 crore. This claim is MISLEADING!”
“The Maglev train being mentioned in the post does NOT run in India. The cost of Japan’s single set of Maglev train has been wrongly compared to the total cost of Varanasi’s ropeway project. The actual cost of the entire Maglev train project is much higher,” it emphasised.
