If all goes as planned for Hyperloop One, the company that is working on technology to transport passengers at airline speeds at a fraction of the cost of air travel, it may be plying its trade in Karnataka as early as 2024.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with the Karnataka Urban Development Department (KUDD) aims to identify potential routes to improve mobility in Bengaluru metropolitan area with the hope of connecting areas like Tumakuru, Hubli-Dharwad and Hosur.
US-based Virgin Hyperloop One, the company developing high-speed urban transport systems has signed MoU’s with Karnataka and Maharashtra and is looking into the possibility of implementing the technology in Andhra Pradesh, reported Business Standard.
In this mode of transport, a vehicle resembling a single metro coach travels inside a tube. Instead of running on a track, it will float due to magnetic levitation after the tube is turned into a low pressure zone. In simple terms, the vehicle which can accomodate around 50 passengers, can travel at 670 kmph, at least ten times faster than a normal train.
The company had earlier proposed that a journey from Bengaluru to Chennai would not take more than 23 minutes. While it sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie, the company is inching closer to make it a reality after already running one such vehicle at its test centre in Las Vegas. It hopes to start public operations in UAE by 2023, according to Nick Earle, Senior Vice President, Global Field Operations.
At the Bengaluru Tech Summit 2017, Virgin Hyperloop One signed an MoU with KUDD for a feasibility study for a period of six weeks. Commenting on the MoU, Karnataka’s ITBT & Tourism minister Priyank Karghe said, “Bengaluru 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.”