If you travel between Mumbai and Pune frequently, you would know that the journey takes about 3 hours to finish. What if we told you that soon you would be able to travel cover the distance faster than you can get pizza delivered to your doorstep? If everything goes well, Richard Branson-backed Virgin Hyperloop One will reduce the travel time between Mumbai and Pune to just 14 minutes!
The US-based company has inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) to identify potential routes and analyse the economic impact and technical feasibility of the high-speed transportation system between the two cities. Here’s what Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said in a statement to ANI:
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.
Hyperloop One in India
After Pune, the Los-Angeles based company is also exploring the possibility of connecting the state’s eastern-most city Nagpur with Mumbai to improve passenger transportation between the two cities.
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About Hyperloop
Hyperloop One is a US-based company that emerged out of an idea proposed by Canadian magnate and inventor Elon Musk. The technology involves boarding the passengers in a capsule-like vehicle and levitating them through a low-pressure tube at a speed of around 1,000 kilometres per hour.
Hyperloop (Photo: Hyperloop One)
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Hyperloop One is being led by venture capitalist Shervin Pishevar, Josh Giegel and former Cisco President of Sales and Development Rob Lloyd. And the latest name to join the band-wagon is Richard Branson, whose Virgin group entered into a strategic partnership with the company last month.
