Punjab mulling Hyperloop link
Chandigarh, December 3
The Punjab Government is exploring the feasibility of connecting major towns in the state through Hyperloop, a futuristic transport system in which passenger pods zip through vacuum tubes at high speeds.
The state government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Los Angeles-based Virgin Hyperloop One to conduct a pre-feasibility economic study for Hyperloop on the Amritsar-Ludhiana-Chandigarh route, Vini Mahajan, Additional Chief Secretary, Industry and Commerce, said in a statement. The MoU was signed by K Siva Prasad, Principal Secretary (Transport), Punjab, and Harj Dhaliwal, MD, Middle East & India, Virgin Hyperloop One, in the presence of Chief Minister Amarinder Singh.
A hyperloop transportation project along the Amritsar-Ludhiana-Chandigarh corridor could reduce travel time from five hours by road to less than 30 minutes. Under the system, passenger pods will use electric propulsion and electromagnetic levitation under vaccum conditions. “Punjab is very keen to be the second state in India after Maharashtra to build a Hyperloop system. Specifically, we would like to explore a Hyperloop project through the state of Punjab, connecting with other metropolitan centres in the country,” the Chief Minister said.
The Hyperloop project pre-feasibility study will be completed within six weeks. It will evaluate several measures, such as cost, demand, and socio-economic benefits of the corridor. — TNS
