When Mumbai-Pune hyperloop project was announced after Maharashtra government signed an agreement with Richard Branson-backed Virgin Hyperloop One last week, it was touted as the first in India. But it looks like, Andhra Pradesh, which inked Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between US-based research firm Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT) in 2017, could be the first state to launch a hyperloop transport system in the country.
The hyperloop transport system in Andhra Pradesh is planned between Vijayawada and Amaravathi. Once launched, the 40 km distance between the two cities can be covered in six minutes, reports IANS.
The feasibility study of the hyperloop project, jointly conducted by the state government and the HTT, is progressing, officials said.
Met Hyperloop Transportation Technologies’ Bibop Gresta & Team on the sidelines of CII Partnership Summit 2018. Discussed about expediting the testing and implementation of the 12 km. hyperloop connecting Vijayawada with Amaravati. pic.twitter.com/CQ1LsL73Wu
— Lokesh Nara (@naralokesh) 25 February 2018
The technology has the potential to transform the mass transportation system in the country, HTT chairman and co-founder Bibop Gresta, was quoted as saying by ANI.
For Vijayawada-Amaravathi hyperloop, a MoU was signed between HTT and Andhra Pradesh Economic Development Board (AP-EDB) in 2017 September.
Last week, Virgin hyperloop One signed an agreement with the Maharashtra government to build a hyperloop transportation system between Mumbai and Pune. The proposed hyperloop route will connect central Pune with Navi Mumbai international airport. The Maharashtra government has not announced the date on which construction of Pune-Mumbai hyperloop project may begin.
At the Magnetic Maharashtra global summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, laid the foundation stone for the hyperloop route.
If reports are to be believed, the proposed Mumbai-Pune hyperloop project is likely to be completed by 2024.
The US-based Virgin Hyperloop One is working on projects in countries all over the world including the UAE, the US, Canada, Finland, and the Netherlands.
Last year, Hyperloop One had proposed to build its high-speed transport system in five Indian sectors. They are Delhi-Mumbai, Bangalore-Thiruvananthapuram, Chennai-Bangalore, Mumbai-Chennai, and Mumbai - Kolkata.
