Delhi To Jaipur In Just 30 Minutes? IIT Madras' Hyperloop Test Track Now Ready [Video]
We all have heard about The Boring Company, which is a tunneling company owned by the billionaire Elon Musk. It builds underground transportation, utility, and freight tunnels. Now, taking inspiration from the idea of tunneling to reduce travel time—recently, folks from IIT Madras, in collaboration with the Ministry of Railways, have unveiled India's first Hyperloop test track. This 410-meter Hyperloop test track has been set up at the IIT Madras Discovery Campus in Thaiyur, Chennai. With this, the travel time from Delhi to Jaipur can be shortened to 30 minutes from the current 3–8 hours.
India's First Hyperloop Under Testing
The students of IIT Madras’s Avishkar Hyperloop team and TuTr Hyperloop, which is a Hyperloop startup from IIT Madras, have strategically partnered with the Ministry of Indian Railways to create India's first Hyperloop project. As mentioned, the test track is a 410-meter loop that has been set up at the IIT Madras Discovery Campus in Thaiyur, Chennai.
This Hyperloop, according to reports, was made using 400 tons of steel. It has been created to validate Hyperloop's feasibility under Indian conditions. The main aim behind the construction of the Hyperloop is to prove its efficiency in reducing travel times between two places.
On a larger scale, the Hyperloop can be used to reduce the travel cost and time for both passengers and goods. As per reports, the Hyperloop can reduce the travel time from Delhi to Jaipur from 3 hours 37 minutes or 8 hours 23 minutes (depending on the train chosen) to just 30 minutes. Also, presently, a flight from Delhi to Jaipur takes one hour.
However, when including the time for check-in, security, and travel to and from the airport, it takes much longer. With the help of the Hyperloop, in which speeds will reach 1,000 kmph, the travel time between Delhi and Jaipur will be significantly reduced.
The total distance between the two cities is 350 km. It has been reported that once the testing is completed and implementation is successful, there are plans to build a 50 km commercial Hyperloop corridor. It will become the world's longest Hyperloop.
What Is a Hyperloop?
Now, for those who may not be completely familiar with the term Hyperloop—it is a new way of super-fast traveling from one place to another. In a Hyperloop, a special floating pod is placed inside a tunnel that connects two places. Inside, there is very little to no pressure, essentially creating a vacuum.
Normally, there is wind and air pressure around a train or airplane, which reduces travel speed. However, because there is no wind inside the Hyperloop, the special pods can reach speeds of up to 1,000 kmph. Also, these pods are not attached to the tracks like normal trains.
Rather, they float on the surface due to magnets. Additionally, powerful magnets are used to propel the pods in conjunction with an electric motor. As a result of all these combined factors, the speed of travel increases exponentially. Presently, there are no fully operational Hyperloops across the globe.
However, numerous countries are working on developing such Hyperloops to reduce the time it takes to travel from one place to another. It will help in reducing travel costs for commuters. Additionally, it can be used to transport goods more quickly. All of this will contribute to the faster economic growth of a place.
In addition to faster travel times, Hyperloops will reduce the emissions as well. Currently, all the major means of transportation cause a lot of pollution. However, with Hyperloops there will be close to zero emissions.