Punjab government signs pact to study hyperloop transport feasibility

Virgin Hyperloop One is also in discussions with the Haryana Government for a separate MoU to evaluate the feasibility of a hyperloop system that could potentially extend the route from Punjab to NCR
The company currently has projects underway in Missouri, Texas, the Midwest, India, and the Middle East. (Photo | Virgin Hyperloop One website)
The company currently has projects underway in Missouri, Texas, the Midwest, India, and the Middle East. (Photo | Virgin Hyperloop One website)

CHANDIGARH: Punjab Government has decided to explore the feasibility of a hyperloop transport infrastructure project in the Amritsar – Ludhiana - Chandigarh – National Capital Region (NCR) corridor, in a bid to improve the inter-city transportation in the region and make it more seamless.

“The state government today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Los Angeles-based Virgin Hyperloop One to conduct a pre-feasibility economic study for the project,” said Vini Mahajan, Additional Chief Secretary, Investment Promotion,  Punjab. Los-Angeles based Virgin Hyperloop One is supported by Dubai-based DP World, its largest investor.

The MoU was signed by K. Siva Prasad, Principal Secretary (Transport), Punjab, and Harj Dhaliwal, Managing Director - Middle East and India, Virgin Hyperloop One, in the presence of  Punjab Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh, and DP World Subcontinent CEO and Managing Director, Rizwan Soomar.

Virgin Hyperloop One is also in discussions with the Haryana Government for a separate MoU to evaluate the feasibility of a hyperloop system that could potentially extend the route from Punjab to the National Capital Region (NCR).

As per Virgin Hyperloop One’s initial estimates, a hyperloop transportation project along the Amritsar-Ludhiana-Chandigarh corridor could reduce travel time from five hours by road to less than thirty minutes.

“Punjab is very keen to be the second state in India, after Maharashtra, to build a hyperloop system. Specifically, we would like to explore a hyperloop project through the State of Punjab, connecting with other metropolitan centres in the country. In the future, this project could link beyond Punjab to connect to the NCR,” said Amarinder.

“The hyperloop project pre-feasibility study will be completed within six weeks. It will evaluate several measures such as cost, demand, and socio-economic benefits of the corridor,” said Invest Punjab Advisor Moshe Kohli.

“We are excited to be partnering with the Punjab Government in this study. A hyperloop route in Punjab can be transformative for the state and we look forward to moving ahead on this project, just as have we done in Maharashtra. There is tremendous economic potential in connecting some of Punjab’s biggest cities, such as Amritsar, Ludhiana, and Chandigarh, among others in northern India, with a hyperloop infrastructure project,” said Harj Dhaliwal, MD-India and Middle East, Virgin Hyperloop One.

Virgin Hyperloop One

Virgin Hyperloop One is the only company in the world that has successfully tested its hyperloop technology at scale, launching the first new mode of mass transportation in over 100 years. The company successfully operated a hyperloop vehicle using electric propulsion and electromagnetic levitation under vacuum conditions, realizing a fundamentally new form of transportation that is faster, safer, cheaper, and more sustainable than existing modes. They currently have projects underway in Missouri, Texas, the Midwest, India, and the Middle East.

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