Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw recently shared a video of India’s first Hyperloop track, announcing that the 410-km long track ready for a test run.
New Delhi: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras has emerged as the hub for Hyperloop development in India, sparking discussions on the timeline for the commercial launch of this futuristic mode of transport. Backed by L&T Technology Services, the institute has constructed a 500-metre-long test facility for its Hyperloop pod prototype, a design that has already made the cut for Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
Popularized by Elon Musk, the Hyperloop technology leverages electromagnetism to levitate a pod inside a near-vacuum tube, eliminating almost all resistance to movement. The result? An ultra-fast transportation system that could hit speeds of 1,200 km per hour, potentially revolutionising India’s railway landscape.
What is a Hyperloop?
Hyperloop is an ultra-high-speed, solar-powered transportation system designed for cargo and mass transit. It features steel tubes with magnetically levitated pods traveling at speeds of up to 1,220 km/h (760 mph). By nearly eliminating air from the tube, friction is significantly reduced, making the system highly efficient.
In essence, Hyperloop operates like a Maglev train but with an added advantage: it doesn’t rely on a powered track. Instead, the pods have onboard propulsion, making the system more energy-efficient and cost-effective than traditional rail networks.
Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw recently shared a video of India’s first Hyperloop track, announcing that the 410-km long track ready for a test run. “Bharat’s first Hyperloop test track (410 meters) completed,” he wrote while sharing a video of the test track.
Hyperloop train speed: Mumbai to Pune in 25 minutes
The supersonic speed of the Hyperloop promises to cut travel times by orders of magnitude, covering distances between cities in mere minutes, not hours. It is important to note that the Hyperloop will be faster than bullet trains. Once completed, the train will cover the distance between Pune and Mumbai cities in Maharashtra in a mere 25 minutes.
According to reports, the first Hyperloop train will run between Mumbai and Pune and will initially have and operational speed of 360 km per hour. Regular trains take around 3-4 hours to travel between the two cities, but the Hyperloop will cover the distance in just 25 minutes, which is much faster than even air travel.
