Mumbai-Pune travel under 30 minutes: First phase of Virgin Hyperloop One expected to commence before the end of 2019

The construction of the first phase of Virgin Hyperloop One's proposed Mumbai-Pune hyperloop route is now expected to start by the end of this year, according to Construction Week. Virgin Hyperloop One's Managing Director for the Middle East and India regions, Harj Dhaliwal was quoted as revealing the plans to commence construction of Phase 1 of the proposed Mumbai-Pune Hyperloop route before the end of 2019. Once the project is complete, the travel time between Mumbai and Pune can reduce from 3 and a half hours to only 25 minutes. Distance between the two cities is about 150 kilometres.

The proposed Hyperloop route between Mumbai and Pune is expected to benefit the population of 26 million combined of both the cities and would connect Navi Mumbai Internation Airport to Pune. The first phase of the proposed Mumbai-Pune Hyperloop route only covers 11.8 kilometres demonstration track and its construction is said to complete by 2023. However, the American transport tech company will make use of private investment of $500 million to work on Phase 1.

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The timeline for Phase 1 construction is expected to remain unchanged as virtually, there is no room for difficulties when it comes to the land acquisition process. Upon the completion of Phase 1 work, the company will eventually commence with Phase 2 work, which will build the rest of the stretch with tracks moving into two separate directions in Mumbai: Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) and Navi Mumbai to expedite cargo transport.

The Hyperloop passageway should be parallel to the Mumbai-Pune Expressway built right under it. Hyperloop is conceived as a new mode of transport that moves passengers and cargo faster from a source to the destination. They are loaded into the Hyperloop vehicle that accelerates thanks to electric propulsion in a low-pressure tube. It floats above the track, courtesy of using magnetic levitation. Thanks to ultra-low aerodynamic drag, Hyperloop vehicle travels at airline speeds.

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“We signed the [memorandum of understanding] with Maharashtra state in November 2017,” Harj Dhaliwal told Construction Week.

“We then did a pre-feasibility study to demonstrate the economic financial case to the state, federal authorities, and our investors,” he added.

Every year, an estimated 80 to 199 million passengers travel between Mumbai and Pune. Virgin Hyperloop One is looking to meet this demand by deploying Hyperloop pods several times per minute. In a nutshell, Phase 1 is only a demonstration phase "to prove to the regulators that our system is reliable, safe, and certified for use by the public."