Niti Aayog may seek trial run of Hyperloop: Nitin Gadkari

NEW DELHI: The government has referred the proposal to set up a hyperloop transportation system in the country to Niti Aayog, road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari said on Thursday.

"Hyperloop had made a presentation to me which we have forwarded to Niti Aayog. Now they will call for a trial run for the technology at some small stretch after which we’ll be able to take a call on the matter," Gadkari said.

He said a committee under Niti Aayog member VK Sarawat is looking into the feasibility of having hyperloop transportation in the country where a pod-like vehicle is propelled through a near-vacuum tube connecting cities at speeds matching that of an aircraft.

US-based Hyperloop Transport Technology (HTT), during a recent meeting with Gadkari, had suggested such services to connect major Indian cities and had also sought land for a pilot project.

Gadkari had shown interest in the project, given the leapfrog technology it offers.

The hyperloop concept is a brainchild of Tesla founder Elon Musk. HTT claimed it costs $40 million per kilometre to build a hyperloop system while building a high-speed train line would cost almost twice. The hyperloop system is being designed to transport passengers and freight.

Parking proof
To tackle parking woes in Delhi, the government is considering a proposal to allow registration of vehicles only after production of parking space availability certificates.

"All our colony roads have become parking lots. There’s no place for people to park their vehicles. The urban development minister has discussed the proposal to end parking woes with me," Gadkari said.

The minister also said that the government could start a mobile app where people can post photos of vehicles parked at unauthorised spaces or on roads after which police can issue challans to the traffic rule violators. "We are discussing all these ideas. However, we still have to look at their feasibility," he said.