Hyperloop, the next generation of mass-mobility for people to travel in a faster, safer and greener way, is likely to be operational by 2029. It is an inter-city mode of transport where people can travel between Mumbai and Pune at ultra-high speeds.
Pune-based Quintrans Hyperloop is developing individual technologies at a commercial scale for Hyperloop. “While we have prototyped a novel patent pending concrete tube, we have already commercialised the Linear Motor for Hyperloop, this includes a linear motor capable of moving upwards of 1 tonne of payload and developing one of India’s first custom track based Linear Motor Controller In-House,” Quintrans CEO and Co-Founder Pranay Luniya said.
“The next step at our facility is to develop efficient magnetic levitation modules, with similar payload capacities of upwards of one tonne. While developing proof of concepts is important, at Quintrans we’re focusing on developing commercial scale technologies that can be integrated to develop Hyperloop as we go along,” he said.
By 2029, the first commercial track expected to be deployed for a smaller route with Cargo while passenger could take a bit longer.
Earlier, Luniya had stated that the technology is being developed to make the infrastructure cost efficient. “Our USP lies around making technology the easiest to implement and efficient to work with. We are targeting a capex of Rs 150 Crore per km, making it less expensive than the current bullet train project between Mumbai-Ahmedabad,” Luniya said.
When asked if the ticket rates of Rs 1,000-1,500 between Mumbai-Pune in a hyperloop will not be costly and whether people can afford it, Luniya said, “It is an open estimated amount of ticket price we are looking at. A direct flight between Pune-Mumbai costs Rs 3,000 while the travel in Vande Bharat train costs Rs 750. Hyperloop is the best of both worlds where you can travel between the cities in under 25 minutes, which is faster than an aeroplane, and at a price which is half of that,” he said.
In 2019, the Maharashtra government approved Hyperloop One’s plans to develop the world’s first hyperloop system in the state. The project, a joint venture between the Maharashtra government and Virgin Group-promoted Hyperloop One, aimed to connect Pune to Mumbai and reduce the time taken to travel between the two cities from three hours to 25 minutes.
Earlier, Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT) had submitted a letter of intent to Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari in 2017 who offered a huge chunk of land along westerly bypass of Pune connected to the Expressway. The idea was to enable them to run an experiment between Mumbai and Pune as a pilot project.
