India Calls Hyperloop a Public Infrastructure Project – Here's Why It's Important – TechCrunch



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Hyperloop, the futuristic and still theoretical transportation system that could one day propel pbadengers and packages at speeds above 600 km / h, has been called a "public infrastructure project" by Indian legislators in the state of Maharashtra.

This government jargon is wrapped in a valuable and remarkable result. The result: the hyperloop is treated as any other project of public infrastructure such as bridges, roads and railways. In other words, the hyperloop was extracted from a niche, a futuristic darkness and received government approval.

This is remarkable, given that the idea of ​​the hyperloop was first proposed by Teson and SpaceX President, Elon Musk, in a 60-page public white paper there barely five years.

It is also launching a process that could bring the hyperloop on a 150km stretch of India between the cities of Mumbai and Pune. The Pune Metropolitan Development Authority will begin the procurement process in mid-August, when it will begin to accept proposals from companies hoping to land the hyper loop contract.

The favorite is probably Virgin Hyperloop One -DP World, a consortium between hyperloop and its biggest sponsor who launched the initial project in India. The MahaIDEA committee had previously endorsed the Virgin Hyperloop World One-DP World consortium as the sponsor of the initial project.

According to the VHO-DPW proposal, a hyperloop capable of transporting 200 million people each year would be built between Pune and Mumbai. This stretch of road now takes more than three hours by car; VHO says his hyperloop would reduce it to 35 minutes.

"This is the story being done." The race is set to host the world's first hyperloop transportation system, and today's announcement places India clearly in the lead. This is an important step and the first of many important steps towards the realization of the hyper loop to the general public, "said Virgin Hyperloop One General Manager Jay Walder. said Wednesday in a statement.

The hope is that the Indian government will award the contract by the end of 2019, a VHO executive told TechCrunch. If this happens, Phase 1 of the project – a section of 11.8 km (or 7.3 miles) – will begin in 2020.

The cost of building Phase 1 will be covered by DP World, which has committed $ 500 million to this section. The government covers the costs and logistics badociated with the acquisition of land for the hyperloop.

Phase 1 will initially serve as a certification track, which will be used to certify hyperloop technology for pbadenger operations. VHO wants this certification track to be built and operational by 2024. If this section meets safety standards, it will be part of the larger Hyperloop line between Pune and Mumbai.

There is a lot of work to be done and technical milestones to go through before Hyperloop rolls people into pods through a tunnel. But if it works and is built, the economy of the region could be transformed, insist the supporters.

Once commercialized, the hyperloop will turn the Pune-Mumbai corridor into a mega-economic region, according to Harj Dhaliwal, managing director of India and the Middle East at Virgin Hyperloop One.

Today, some 75 million people travel each year between Pune and Mumbai, and forecasts suggest that this number could reach 130 million each year by 2026. The VHO-DPW consortium says its hyperloop will be able to handle 16,000 pbadengers a day, about 200 million. people every year.

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