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Not long ago, in 2013, Elon Musk proposed the idea of the fifth mode of transport — Hyperloop. Four years later, the futuristic high-speed technology is being explored in hosts of countries, including India.
On Wednesday, the Andhra Pradesh government signed an MoU with Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT) to conduct a feasibility study to analyse the surrounding cityscapes to create the best route between Amravati and Vijayawada. If all goes well, this route of 35 kilometres will be covered in five minutes.
The transportation system based on pressure and magnetic levitation techniques was envisaged as low-cost “solution for the specific case of high traffic city pairs that are less than about 1500 km or 900 miles apart.” Using this, cargo, as well as passengers, can travel between cities within minutes.
If India is ready for such a technology is another question, but one thing is sure, given the country's population, internal migration and various industrial corridors— we have a pressing need for faster but safer mode of transportation.
Though the Hyperloop seems a distant reality as of now, here are some corridors in India where the existence of Hyperloop can catalyse growth and help industries:
Delhi-Mumbai (via Ahmedabad): Japan is already working on developing a USD 90 billion industrial corridor between two cities however what the financial and the political capital of India need is a high-speed solution to make the distance between them shorter. It will also aid the industries situated in the corridor to transport their goods quickly.
Estimated time: 250 minutes
Bengaluru-Mumbai: These two cities combined contribute over USD 195 billion (PPP) to the Indian economy and give employment to 1.21 crore people (Brookings, 2014). The government is developing a 1,000 km economic corridor between these two mega cities which is estimated to generate 25 lakh jobs and contribute to 12 percent to the country's GDP. Add to it the high-speed Hyperloop transport system which would be icing on the cake.
Estimated time: 166 minutes
Also Read: Hyperloop inches closer to reality, successfully completes first full system test
Delhi-Patna: According to recently released data by Indian Railways, three most popular trains on Indian tracks are between Delhi and Bihar. These trains have a yearly waitlist of nearly 2 lakh passengers per train—one waitlisted passenger every three confirmed tickets. A low-cost Hyperloop system between these two cities will tap into the Railway’s passenger base and make travelling easy for migrants between these two cities.
Estimated time: 182 minutes
Mumbai-Kolkata: A Hyperloop corridor between these two port cities will link the traders on both east and west coast. For example, if a cargo ship is coming from China to western India, it no longer needs to travel all around the Indian peninsula. It can offload the cargo in Kolkata from where the contents of it can be swiftly moved to Mumbai or central India.
Estimated time: 325 minutes
Chennai-Bengaluru: These two cities generate a large chunk of revenue from South India (close to USD 100 billion). Moreover, there is a huge number of Tamil population which works in Bengaluru. Understandably, a fast mode of transport can actually make them stay in their hometown and work in the IT capital.
Estimated time: 58 minutes
Note: Estimated time is calculated using the highest test speed achieved by any Hyperloop pod (350 kmph), assuming it travels non-stop. The theoretical speed, however, pegs it to be in the supersonic range (above 1200 kmph) which if achieved will cut down travel time drastically.
(With inputs from PTI)
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