IIT Madras testing plan for hyperloop parallel to Chennai-Bengaluru route

IIT Madras has demonstrated contactless propulsion and braking for the project, and will be ready technology-wise by July 2023

Hyperloop technology is still in nascent stages, but an initiative by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, and funded by the Railways, may help India take a lead.

A hyperloop — conceptualised by billionaire Elon Musk — uses magnets to levitate pods inside an airless tube, creating conditions in which the pods can shuttle people, and freight, at 1,000 kmph. Plans are being drawn up for a cargo hyperloop parallel to either the Chennai-Bengaluru railway line, highways connecting the cities, or a line between Chennai and Puducherry.

To test the plan, a 400-metre hyperloop comprising 4-5-metre pods and clocking 250 kmph