Why IIT Madras' Hyperloop Is A Gamechanger For India

New Delhi: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that India will soon be ready for Hyperloop transportation. The remarks were made by the Union Minister following his visit to the Hyperloop testing facility at IIT Madras.  

On the occasion, the Union Minister also announced that India's Hyperloop tube would soon become the world's longest, stretching 410 meters in length.

“Entire testing system for Hyperloop transportation has been developed using indigenous technologies,” Vaishnaw said. 

Hyperloop Transportation: Why It is A Gamechanger For India

Prof. Satya Chakravarthy, Faculty Advisor, Hyperloop IIT Madras has explained that Hyperloop transportation will significantly reduce travelling time for the passengers and at the same time will become a feasible option for them.  

“Our goal is to offer flight-like speed at train-like cost. The whole idea behind is similar to mass-rapid transit. It’s like an intercity metro. It’s like a metro rail between cities. The cost will likely be ranging  from Rs 1000-2000 for taking one person from the middle of a city to the middle of another city, let's say 350 kms within about 15-30 mins. This is about one-third of what flight costs. It will be good for pocket of common man,” Prof. Satya Chakravarthy told Republic Media Network. 

Giving a detailed description about the Hyperloop transportation and the usage of electromagnetic technology here, Prof. Satya Chakravarthy said, “Hyperloop is a fifth mode of transportation after road, rail, air and sea because it does not fit in any of these stereotypes. We have a magnetic levitation train which means it levitates away above a certain rail. But we don’t call it a train, we call it a pod. It is essentially like a mini-bus.  It is more of a glorified electric vehicle. It is more like an electromagnetic vehicle.”

(Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw visits Hyperloop testing facility at IIT Madras/Image-PIB)

The 410-meter-long Hyperloop test tube located at IIT Chennai is already the longest Hyperloop test facility in Asia. Hyperloop is a high-speed train that runs in a vacuum in a tube.

He said that the pod vehicle will levitate above the track and propels along the track in the electromagnetic manner, but inside a vacuum tube. 

Also Read: Ashwini Vaishnaw Explains Hyperloop Pod

“It levitates above the track and propels along the track in the electromagnetic manner, but all of it in a vacuum tube. So the vacuum tube runs till whatever distance we want and the track goes inside the tube. This pod carrying let’s say 40 people would levitate and travel inside the tube,” he said. 

The Railway Ministry said that it has been providing financial funding and technical assistance to the Hyperloop project, and all the electronics technology for this Hyperloop project will be developed at Integral Coach Factory, Chennai.