IIT Madras with support from the Ministry of Railways, has developed a 422-meter-long, India’s first hyperloop test track. With this, 350 km can be covered in just 30 minutes. This means you can travel from Delhi to Jaipur, roughly 300 km, in less than half an hour once it becomes a reality.
Sharing the news on X (formerly Twitter), Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw wrote, “Government-academia collaboration is driving innovation in futuristic transportation.”
The hyperloop project at @iitmadras; Government-academia collaboration is driving innovation in futuristic transportation. pic.twitter.com/S1r1wirK5o
— Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) February 24, 2025
The project, funded by the Ministry of Railways, was built at the IIT Madras Campus. Elated with the results, Mr Vaishnaw said, “The first pod of 422 meters will go a long way in developing technologies. I think the time has come when, after the first two grants of one million dollars each, the third grant of one million dollars will be given to IIT Madras for further developing the hyperloop project.”
Railways plan to undertake the first commercial project soon.
What Is A Hyperloop Track?
Referred to as the ‘fifth mode of transport’, Hyperloop is a high-speed transportation system for long-distance travel. It allows trains to travel at very high speed via special capsules in vacuum tubes.
“It involves an electromagnetically levitating pod within a vacuum tube thus eliminating friction and air drag and potentially allowing the pod to reach speeds up to Mach 1.0,” stated an official press release.
A Mach is around 761 miles per hour at sea level on a standard day.
“Hyperloop will be marked by its immunity to weather, collision-free commute which can move at twice the speed of a plane, with low power consumption and energy storage for 24-hour operations,” it added.
