Faster than airplane: With Hyperloop test track, Bengaluru to Chennai is just half an hour!

Bengaluru: What if you could travel the 325 km distance from Bengaluru to Chennai in just half an hour? Do you think this is only possible in a dream? Absolutely not. The day when you can travel between the two cities in just half an hour may come soon. IIT Madras engineers have developed an Hyperloop test track, which is everything you think it is, but you can travel between Chennai and Bengaluru in half an hour.

IIT Madras, in collaboration with the Ministry of Railways, has developed India’s first Hyperloop test track. The Hyperloop system aims to transport passengers at a speed of more than 1,000 km per hour through a low-pressure system (pod or tube-like device). With the help of this technology, a journey of 350 km can be made in just 30 minutes.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav shared information on this issue in an X message, mentioning that “Government-academic collaboration is driving innovation in future transportation.” The project is being implemented at the IIT Madras campus with funds from the Ministry of Railways. It will take more time to develop the technology for the first 422-meter pod. The first two tranches of funds ($1 million each) have already been released. Now, the time has come to give the third tranche of $1 million to IIT Madras to further develop the Hyperloop project, Vaishnav said.

He said that once the technology is fully tested and ready, the Indian Railways will start the first commercial project.

Hyperloop is a high-speed travel system designed for long distances. It uses special pods that move through vacuum tubes. This allows trains to travel at extraordinary speeds.Hyperloop technology can travel twice as fast as an airplane. It will operate with low power consumption and energy storage for 24-hour operation, an official said.