In collaboration with the Ministry of Railways, IIT Madras has unveiled India’s first hyperloop test track, a landmark step in the evolution of high-speed transportation. The 422 meter track lets a high speed pod travel inside a near vacuum tube, breaking the sound barrier and reaching over 1,000km/h.
This hyperloop advanced technology could change the way of long distance travel. The test track showed that passengers could travel up to 350km in just 30 minutes. Which means, for instance, that travelling by train from Delhi to Jaipur, about 300km, could take less than 30 minutes.
Vaishnaw stressed on the government-academia partnership in inducing innovation in the futuristic transport. He also revealed that IIT Madras would be receiving a third grant of one million dollars to further develop the hyperloop project. The Indian Railways is also looking at launching the first commercial hyperloop service once the technology is well tested and operational.
The project uses electromagnetic levitation to launch pods at high speed in a vacuum tube, which eliminates friction and air resistance. This technology could see trains travelling faster than Mach 1 (more than 1,224 km/h) than conventional rail systems.
The hyperloop technology, which is heavily backed by investment and research, is meant to change the way people travel by drastically decreasing travel time and increasing efficiency. The Indian government’s support means that the country is well placed to be a leader in next generation transportation technologies.
