Of the many facets defining our lives in the 21st century, urban transportation and infrastructure are the two decisive factors. One just cannot live in isolation with the two in a highly urbanized environment.
We are in an age where the means of transportation are constantly undergoing a rapid change. And urban mobility as a concept is interlinked with two essential constituents or facts. The first is travel time. And the other is the relative ease or convenience of traveling.
And believe it or not, both are slated to undergo a tremendous sea-change if the concept of hyperloop is indeed adopted especially on chaotic and busy routes.
For starters, the proposed Pune-Mumbai hyperloop could really define the way commuters and passengers converge between two exceedingly busy cities in Maharashtra.
That brings us to the question as to where exactly is the discussion on the proposed Pune-Mumbai hyperloop? What are the current developments and whether the same can be a reality in India?
Currently, where it stands, then the Maharashtra government has approved the Virgin Hyperloop One for the futuristic Pune-Mumbai hyperloop project. This move, talismanic in nature, is considered significantly profitable from both an infrastructural as well as an economic perspective.
For starters, not only will the Pune-Mumbai hyperloop lead to the creation of several jobs, but it shall also lead to further creation of around $36 billion worth of socio-economic benefits.
Where the word of the Virgin Hyperloop One stands, then the state government- among the first proponents of hyperloop in the world- has deemed the revolutionary mode of transport a public-infrastructure project.
Among the key stakeholders of the project in India would be DP World, a major ports and logistics operator in India. It has been entrusted to complete Phase 1of the project in India. An important task here would be to certify the new technology for passenger operations.
But the aspect of job-creation and socio-economic benefits notwithstanding, if brought into place, the Pune-Mumbai hyperloop project shall create a new hyperloop component and manufacturing opportunities for the state of Maharashtra to export to the rest of the world.
But wait till you hear about the expected passenger percentage that will be borne by the proposed project. According to industry numbers, each year, as many as 75 million passenger journeys can be undertaken by the mega project which can then jump multifold to a whopping 130 million by 2026.
In lines with the ambitious plan coming to fruition sometime in the future, the CEO of Virgin Hyperloop One shared, “This is history in the making. Once realized, it will transform the Mumbai-Pune corridor into a mega-economic region which will, in turn, lead to the movement of people and cargo in a time-bound and sustainable manner.”
But while the India-bound project is still some miles away before it is fully realized, where does the Virgin Hyperloop One stand globally; where all are its projects currently on?
Here’s what one needs to know. The mega-urban transport entity already has active projects in diverse geographies such as Missouri, Texas, Colorado, North Carolina, the Midwest, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.