A team has proposed the Hyperloop One transportation concept for five routes in India. Hyperloop One announced that 35 teams from around the globe will work on proposals for various countries, with India being one of them.
Hyperloop might come to five routes in India
The Hyperloop is based on an idea conceptualized by Tesla CEO Elon Musk. He offered up his plans for anyone to use, saying that he doesn’t have time to develop it. The system is essentially a tube that links two locations, and people ride in pod-like vehicles through the tubes, completing what would typically be a lengthy trip in a matter of minutes. According to the Indian Express, the transportation system could reduce the 1,200-kilometer trip from Delhi to Mumbai to less than an hour’s time.
Hyperloop One is examining proposals for five routes in India. In addition to the Delhi to Mumbai route, they are: Bangalore to Thiruvananthapuram; Chennai to Bangalore; Mumbai to Chennai; and a port connector.
The Indian Express noted that the Hyperloop could face a number of hurdles in India, especially the acquisition of the land needed to complete the project. Most big infrastructure projects in the country face issues.
Hyperloop showcases planned this year
Hyperloop One announced its Global Challenge in May 2016, and it attracted 2,600 teams from different parts of the globe, according to Inverse. The firm announced the 35 finalist teams on Friday, and those teams will participate in a showcase on the proposals in Delhi on Feb. 28. The firm has also planned two other showcases, one in Washington, D.C. on Apr. 6 and one in London on Apr. 27.
The company plans to invite government leaders to the showcases, and the company said that the feedback received from those leaders will be one determinant on whether it builds its system in the country.
The company said it could award multiple winners in its competition and is keeping its options open. It will then consider the feasibility of setting up a system in the regions that win. It wants to have three routes under construction within the next five years. The first operational Hyperloop system is already slated for the United Arab Emirates in the Dubai to Abu Dhabi corridor. Several other countries are also looking into the possibility of building one.
