India eyes high-speed travel with 50km hyperloop corridor backed by IIT Madras | VIDEO

New Delhi: India strides towards the development of a 50km hyperloop corridor for commercial transport, with the backing of Indian Railways and IIT Madras. Union Minister for Railways, Ashwini Vaishnaw, announced the development during the closing ceremony of Asia's first Global Hyperloop Competition on Tuesday at IIT Madras.

The announcement comes after IIT Madras successfully created a 422-meter-long test track for hyperloop technology, marking a milestone in the country's efforts to explore new modes of high-speed transportation. Vaishnaw revealed that Indian Railways is committed to advancing the hyperloop project with further support, including a third grant of $1 million (approximately ₹9 crore) to IIT Madras for the continued development of the technology.

"The first tube will go a long way in developing technologies. The time has come when after the first two grants of $1 million each (nearly ₹9 crore), the third grant of $1 million will be given to IIT Madras for further developing the hyperloop project in a nice way," Vaishnaw said.

Once the hyperloop product is commercially ready, the government plans to implement the first commercial project within the railway setup. The commercial corridor will span 40-50 kilometers, potentially revolutionising travel between cities by offering an ultra-fast alternative to conventional rail and air transport.

Sources suggest that the commercial corridor's test track will allow the railways to evaluate the feasibility of hyperloop technology, which could achieve speeds of up to 1,200 kilometers per hour.

Hyperloop aims to drastically reduce travel time, making it a promising solution for long-distance, high-speed transportation. If successfully implemented, the proposed 50km corridor could potentially become the world's longest hyperloop track.