Hyperloop uses technology allowing vehicles to travel inside tunnels at the speed of 1,000 km per hour
A 300 km an hour bullet train may not be the fastest thing to pull into a station in Maharashtra in the not-so-far future. With speeds of up to a 1,000 km per hour, a 'hyperloop' could soon reduce the 150-km Mumbai to Pune distance to a brisk 14-minute commute.
A new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Maharashtra government and
Virgin Hyperloop One will identify potential routes that could be viable.
It could also lead to the transformation of the Mumbai-Pune region into one large megalopolis, according to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Hyperloop uses technology allowing vehicles to travel inside tunnels at the speed of 1,000 km per hour. Vehicles in a Hyperloop tunnel float above a track that uses magnetic levitation to achieve this rapid speed.
"By reducing travel time to under 20 minutes, a hyperloop route will help intensify the connectivity between the metropolitan regions of Pune and Mumbai, transforming the two cities into India's first and largest Megapolis," said Mr Fadnavis.
"A hyperloop solution could revolutionise the transport experience," Hyperloop said in a statement, adding that it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA).
Hyperloop will also work with the PMRDA to navigate through different regulatory requirements and also assess the social and economic benefits of the project.
This is not the first time that Hyperloop One has signed an MoU with Indian states, as the Andhra Pradesh government had done so
a few months back for a similar feasibility study. The six-month study would be carried out between the cities of Vijayawada and Amaravati.
Apart from studies in India, Hyperloop One is also working on projects in many different countries like the US, Finland, Canada, the Netherlands and the UAE.