Musings on the Hyperloop: The Next Big Thing in Public Transport
Growing up – watching Star Trek – always made me wonder when we would achieve teleportation capabilities. The ones where you “blink” and are transported to fantastic worlds with a blazing blue sun and red oceans.
That may not be anytime soon, but the Hyperloop has been generating enough hype and excitement – promising to solve urban transportation problems – in an eco-friendly manner.
The very first vacuum train though was first envisioned a century ago, in 1909, by Robert Goddard. It has taken a 100 years before the first vacuum train is now ready to run.
The Importance of the Concept and its Application:
India, in all probability, is all set to be the first nation to experience the ultra-modern Virgin Hyperloop One technology by establishing connectivity between Mumbai and Pune, with the duration being just 20-25 minutes. The ideation for the groundbreaking project was initiated by our Prime Minister, Mr Narendra Modi, at the renowned Magnetic Maharashtra Global Business Summit, held in Mumbai. Following this, Mr Nitin Gadkari, the Union Minister for Transport, has inaugurated and paved the way for the Virgin Hyperloop One to become a reality.
As per calculations, the Hyperloop trips would allow the movement of around 150 million people per year, thus transforming this part of the country into a significant megaregion, in a matter of time.
The Virgin Hyperloop One system can prove to be a great boon for travellers since they can avoid those frustrating, jam-packed roads and trains that run slow or never arrive on time. These tube trains are designed to reach a top speed of 1,000 kmph and will cover a great distance of 140 kilometres in an incredibly short duration. According to The Hindu Business Line, the speed will only be limited to 350 kmph, which might later be increased to 600 kmph.
The Hyperloop route will be probably run parallel to the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. The transportation system will cost much less than constructing and maintain a high-speed railway network. Moreover, the entire concept is eco-friendly as it is 100% electric and will possibly decrease the greenhouse gas emissions.
On the Virgin Hyperloop
The present Chairman of the Company, Richard Branson, has stated in a recent interview that the Virgin Hyperloop One project would take around 3 years to construct it for the test run and then, 7 years is required for it to finally begin its operations for the public transport. Branson abhors the fact that during every visit of his to India, he has suffered from traffic woes that have left me wondering how Indian citizens lose valuable time of their lives, wasting them away stuck at bad traffic. He is confident that the Hyperloop technology shall be a revolutionary change in the Indian transport services, that would hugely benefit each and every traveller. Hence, Branson does not wish to restrict the services to it being only a premium affair, instead, he intends to dedicate it to the masses – for the common man. The prices shall be reasonable and everyone will be free to utilize them.
Since the project is of a colossal nature with a primary investment of a billion dollars, it would be a source of employment to a few thousand in our country. Branson believes that this project would eventually improve the economic status of the state of Maharashtra, leading it to a bright future. If the Mumbai-Pune venture turns out to be successful, there are further plans of extending the service in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, as per the latest news.
The Chairman, Branson, feels that this high-potential, advanced technology will positively improve the time savings, operational cost savings, socio-economic benefits, etc. while causing a significant reduction in the accident risks.
The Positive Impact on Cargo Transportation:
The powerful Virgin Hyperloop One system can also affect the fate of cargo transportation in the country. Being one of the most active corridors in the world (in term of economic transactions), around 25% of the cargo received by the Mumbai shipping port is immediately moved to Pune. With such a fast and efficient tube system, large quantities of cargo can be transferred without any hassles or even damage. On top of that, this high-capacity cargo Hyperloop system will facilitate new business, create thousands of jobs, and attract more opportunities for investment.
So all that now remains is to get onto a tube – and maybe even shout out – “Beam me up, Scotty!”
Latest News: Virgin Hyperloop One will open a new Advanced Technology Development Testing Centre in the Andalusian region of Spain after signing an agreement with the Administrator of the Railway Infrastructure. Read Here
