Hyperloop High-Speed Transport System Is Coming To India. Here’s What We Know

The much talked about Hyperloop technology, that will drastically reduce travel time using pod-like vehicle moving through vacuum tubes, is officially coming to India, Business Insider has reported. It will allow passengers to travel at a speed of 1000 kmph, higher than that of a passenger plane.

Hyperloop One, the US startup that is developing transportation based on the concept, is organising an event in Delhi on Thursday. The event, called 'Vision for India', will be attended by Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu and NITI Ayog CEO Amitabh Kant. In January, the company revealed that it wishes to test its near-supersonic transport system in Delhi and Mumbai. It is expected to make an official announcement in this respect during the high-profile event.

Hyperloop One Executive Chairman Shervin Pishevar and Global CEO Rob Lloyd met Prabhu on Monday to discuss the proposal.

Another company, Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, is in discussions with five Indian states to build a high-speed travel network and will also raise $100 million from both international and domestic investors to invest in the country.

"We have five offers on the table from five chief ministers. We spoke to them and the one that will give us the land we will go and build," Hyperloop Transportation Technologies chairman Bibop Gresta was quoted by PTI as saying. He informed that his company has already invested over $32 million in the project in UAE, Slovakia and the US.

In India, the company first wishes to build a 5-8 km track to check the feasibility of the system. Construction of each kilometre will cost around $20 million.

Though the technology has been around for over a decade, only recent developments and testing have made it commercially viable. In the Hyperloop system, a pod-like vehicle is propelled through a near-vacuum tube at more than airline speed and the technology is based on the concept of magnetic levitation.

Also Read: Mumbai To Pune In 30 Minutes: Here’s How The Hyperloop Promises That