Hyperloop at nascent stage; safety parameters yet to be framed worldwide: Ashwini Vaishnaw

Hyperloop is an emerging technology and is at nascent stage of development, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. "The technical and safety parameters of Hyperloop are yet to be framed worldwide," Vaishnaw added.

The Railway Minister responded to questions raised by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey regarding research and development of air mobility solutions.

Dubey wanted to know the estimated timeline for the completion of the proposed 11.5-km Hyperloop track and the expected benefits of Hyperloop technology in terms of speed, energy efficiency, and environmental impact among other things.


"Hyperloop is expected to be faster, more energy efficient and sustainable than other transportation modes. As an initiative, Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO), a unit under Ministry of Railways, has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with IIT/Madras with a funding of Rs 20.89 crore for setting up a Centre of Excellence for Hyperloop technology," Vaishnaw said.

He added that the Centre's objective is to develop sub-scale model of Pod, Test Track and Vacuum Tube facility of the futuristic full scale Hyperloop at IIT/Madras for validation of this technology.