Maharashtra and Karnataka mull the possible high-speed routes with Virgin Hyperloop One

Virgin Hyperloop One has announced its partnership with the Government of Maharashtra and Karnataka to conduct a preliminary study in the regions to understand hyperloop's feasibility and economic impact.

The US-based company has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Karnataka Urban Development Department (KUDD), and the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) to identify potential routes and analyze the high-level economic impact and technical viability of hyperloop transportation solutions in India.

Embracing disruptive innovations like hyperloop will improve connectivity and accessibility to enable transportation within major cities in India in under two hours. This network could link nearly 75+ million people across the three metropolitan areas of the States of Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh to improve global competitiveness, reduce congestion and emissions, and provide citizens with better social and economic mobility.

“India is one of the most important geographies for developing hyperloop networks and reimagining the complete transportation system,” said Nick Earle, senior vice-president for global field operations, Virgin Hyperloop One.

The preliminary studies will analyze the applicability and benefits of hyperloop technology, identify high priority routes within the States based on demand analysis and socio-economic benefits, and inform the governments in any future decision to progress to the full project stage.

"Bangalore has been the IT hub of the country and all major giants have been functioning out of the region. The introduction of a technology like hyperloop will further add to the pace at which the state wants to grow," said ITBT & Tourism, Government of Karnataka, Priyank Kharge.

“By reducing travel time to under 20 minutes, a hyperloop route will help intensify the connectivity between the metropolitan regions of Pune and Mumbai, transforming the two cities into India’s first and largest Megapolis,” said the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis.

Though Virgin Hyperloop One hasn’t specified the length of the routes it would build in India, it did tease some of the possibilities like it would take just 14 minutes to travel between Mumbai and Pune, a journey that currently takes up to three hours by car. The company recently announced 10 winning submissions in a long-running contest to find what it believes to be the best places to build the first hyperloop routes in the world.

Virgin Hyperloop One built and successfully tested a full-scale hyperloop system at its test track in the Nevada desert this past summer, there has been a growing demand from governments and the private sectors around the world. In addition to India, Virgin Hyperloop One is working on projects in countries including the UAE, U.S., Canada, Finland and the Netherlands.