Hyperloop One, a company that is building what it calls the next generation travel infrastructure, is now here in India. The company held a media event in Delhi on Tuesday to announce that it was actively looking to develop five high-speed corridors in India, linking the major cities of India, with Hyperloop that is a theoretical transportation mode with speed of as high as 1100 kilometres per hour.
Although for now the whole thing is a concept, Hyperloop One said that with help from Indian government it could make the super high-speed travel in India a possibility in the coming years. Indian Railways minister Suresh Prabhu, who was at the event, said that the government was "very keenly watching the new developments and technologies.
"We are watching all of these (new technologies) very keenly and we are working to modernise the Indian railways," said Prbhu, while adding that all companies are welcome to explore their ideas with the government. He also said the Indian government has a very rigorous and transparent bidding process through which it awards contracts for projects like new transportation corridor.
Hyperloop, as a concept, envisages special pods with passengers moving at a very high-speed inside sealed tube-like tunnel. The pods are accelerated using electric motor and because the tube is sealed there is very little resistance inside it, which helps the pods move at a very fast pace.
Hyperloop One says that it is the only company that has been able to demonstrate that this technology can work. "While other start-ups have not yet moved beyond basic research, Hyperloop One is the only company that is building a functional Hyperloop system (part of a pilot project in the US)," noted the company.
"Hyperloop One will help accelerate India's growth towards building substantial infrastructure that is financially and environmentally sustainable," said Rob Lloyd, CEO of Hyperloop One. "We are already working with the governments around the world on passenger and freight projects, and we look forward to also partnering with India to support this endeavor."
Hyperloop One said that it got 126 applications from India in response to its Hyperloop One Global Challenge last year. The campaign was launched to seek route ideas from people. Of the 126, the company has shortlisted 5 routes in India on which it wants to focus.
Don't dream of hour-long Delhi to Mumbai journey
Theoretically, the speed at the which a person can travel using Hyperloop is just fantastic. For example, Hyperloop One envisages a 55-minute journey between Delhi and Mumbai using this technology. Here is how the company describes its 5 plans.
AECOM: Bengaluru-to-Chennai. 334 kilometres in 20 minutes
LUX Hyperloop Network: Bengaluru-to-Thiruvananthapuram. 736 kilometres in 41 minutesDinclix GroundWorks: Delhi-to-Mumbai via Jaipur and Indore. Covers 1,317 kilometres in 55 minutes
Hyperloop India: Mumbai-to-Chennai via Bengaluru, covering 1,102 kilometres in 50 minutes
Infi-Alpha: Bengaluru to Chennai. It will cover 334 kilometres in 20 minutes
All of this sounds pretty well. So what is the problem? There are two. One, the Hyperloop is still a concept. It's a technology that companies are working on but they are yet to show its viability from technology as well as financial point of view.
The second problem is that Hyperloop One would need to a lot of permissions from Indian government and will have to enter into a partnership with the public sector. This sounds easy but it is actually pretty tricky as well as can take a long time. So, for now as well as for another 5 years at least, if you want to go to a city in quick time, your best bet will remain airplane.
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