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Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw inspects hyperloop pod development in Chennai

ANI March 15, 2025 146 views

Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw recently visited IIT Madras to inspect their cutting-edge Hyperloop pod prototype. The innovative transportation technology promises to revolutionize inter-city travel by enabling speeds over 1,000 km/h using magnetic levitation. Vaishnaw highlighted the experimental nature of the project while expressing enthusiasm about its potential. The Hyperloop project represents a significant leap forward in India's technological and transportation capabilities.

"Hyperloop is a new experiment--we run the pod not on the track but above it by magnetic levitation." - Ashwini Vaishnaw
New Delhi, March 15: Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday inspected the work being done to develop a Hyperloop pod in Chennai.

Key Points

1

Hyperloop pod enables Chennai to Bengaluru travel in under 30 minutes

2

Magnetic levitation technology eliminates traditional track constraints

3

IIT Madras leads prototype development with Railways Ministry support

A Hyperloop pod is a pressurised vehicle designed to travel at high speeds within a low-pressure tube, utilising magnetic levitation and propulsion to minimise friction and air resistance.

IIT Madras has successfully developed a prototype Hyperloop pod that would take less than 30 minutes to travel from Chennai to Bengaluru, according to the publicly available information. The Hyperloop project at IIT Madras is a high-speed transportation system that uses a vacuum tube to move pods at speeds of over 1,000 km/h. The project is supported by the Ministry of Railways.

Talking to ANI during the inspection, Union Minister Vaishnaw said, "Hyperloop is a new experiment--in this, a vacuum is created, and we run the pod not on the track but above it by magnetic levitation. It's in the experiment stage as of now, and IIT Madras is supporting us in developing it."

Earlier in the day, he inaugurated the manufacturing hub of Zetwerk Electronics.

The Minister, during the inauguration, highlighted that the Union government has been increasing the railway budget for Tamil Nadu over the last 10 years, which was very small during the UPA government.

"Today, the budget is 6000 Crore plus for Tamil Nadu, and I'm very happy to share that. Our focus is so much on making sure that the work gets done," he added.

Speaking during the inauguration, he thanked the states for the success of the electronic industry, adding that it has become the second largest export item in the country.

Minister said, "You will be very happy to know that Electronics has become the second largest export item in the country, overtaking many conventional industries that had developed exports over decades. And just see, within one decade, electronics has become the second largest and this was possible primarily because of very clear thinking and focused execution."

The Union Minister attributed this achievement to the cooperation from state governments.

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