IIT Madras has successfully finished the 410-meter Hyperloop test track, which is a significant step in India's transition to new transportation systems. Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw posted a video of the track's progress on social media on Thursday to mark the track's completion. Vaishnaw acknowledged the contributions made to the initiative by the Railways, the IIT Madras Avishkar Hyperloop team, and TuTr, an institute-incubated firm.
The Hyperloop technology is intended to transform transportation by enabling pods to move at up to 1,100 kilometers per hour. These pods will travel via low-pressure tunnels, generating a frictionless environment that will boost energy efficiency and travel speed. The system is anticipated to operate at a speed of about 360 km/h, making it one of the fastest forms of transportation.
The Mumbai-Pune route has been chosen to be India's first full-scale Hyperloop project. The initiative aims to significantly cut the average travel time of more than three hours by car to just 25 minutes between the two cities.
In order to ensure minimum friction and enable amazing speeds, Hyperloop technology uses pressurized pods to transport passengers in a low-pressure environment. A quick and effective method of transportation, each pod can accommodate 24–28 passengers and will go straight between destinations without making any pauses in between.
With the use of magnets, this technology would move capsules through tubes in an atmosphere that is almost vacuum. Because there would be no air resistance or friction, the vehicles could travel at speeds that are on par with those of airplanes.
