Virgin Hyperloop: The High-Speed Rail Technology that Cuts Travel Time by Hours
By: Ashwathy Nair
A high-speed rail technology that focuses on completing long distances in a fraction of time. Hyperloop is such a technology that can cut down travel time by hours through its magnetic levitation in low-pressure vacuum tubes.
By taking an example of India, if the proposed system is developed in India, it could cut travel period between Mumbai and Pune, which is around 3 hours if taken by road but with Hyperloop, it will cut down travel time to just 35 minutes.
The first Indian to ride on the Virgin Hyperloop is Tanay Manjrekar, who hails from Pune.
The Power Electronics Specialist at Virgin Hyperloop, Tanay Manjrekar stated that “Being working on hyperloop, it is really a dream come true moment for becoming one of the first to ride it… I hope that India sees the enormous potential ahead of them to accept the challenge and leapfrog the rest of the world again and continue to advance the hyperloop project in Pune-Mumbai”.
In over 100 years, by launching the first new mode of transportation, Virgin Hyperloop has become the only company in the world that has been successful in testing Hyperloop technology at scale. The firm has been successful in operating a full-scale hyperloop vehicle with the help of using electric propulsion and electromagnetic levitation under near-vacuum conditions, it has realized being a fundamentally new form of transportation that is safer, inexpensive, faster and more sustainable than any existing modes. In order to make hyperloop a reality in years, the company is working with governments, investors and partners around the world.
The first people in the world, who rode the Virgin Hyperloop were the Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer, Josh Giegel and the Director of Passenger Experience, Sara Luchian. On the newly unveiled XP-2 vehicle, engineered by BIG Bjarke Ingels Group and Kilo Design, the occupants made their maiden voyage, which was custom-built with occupant protection and comfort in mind. Although the production vehicle will be larger and can carry up to 28 passengers, this XP-2, the 2-seater vehicle has been designed to prove that passengers can actually ride comfortably in a hyperloop vehicle.
On the first journey of Tanay Manjrekar, on this pathbreaking mode of transportation, he penned a whole-hearted letter to his parents along with choosing to share its contents exclusively with IANSlife that read, “…In the first practical hyperloop ever created, I’m going to be one of the first inhabitants. I designed it and I’m going to be riding in it right now … Everybody on the team has worked extremely hard in order to ensure rider’s safety, and we’re confident enough that we’ve covered all the grounds … Before I relocated to the U.S. and even when I was in school here when I spoke about hyperloop, I know it seemed like a far-fetched concept. This, however, is as real as it gets! I feel enormous happiness for even being able to get a chance to work on it…”
The founder of the Virgin Hyperloop, Sir Richard Branson stated that “The team of Virgin Hyperloop have been working continuously for the past few years on turning its groundbreaking technology into reality.”
Virgin Hyperloop has made a history when the first people at the DevLoop test facility in the United States had been successful in travelling in a hyperloop pod. Branson stated, “With the test that has been successful today, we have shown that in the coming years, this spirit of innovation will really change the way people live, work, and travel everywhere.”
