Here is why it’s too early to be excited about Hyperloop in India

• India could be one of the first countries to get the Hyperloop.
  
• A lot more work, such as feasibility testing and investments, remains to be done before a working Hyperloop can be established.
  
• Virgin wants to build and operate the Hyperloop here by 2024.

Sitting on the cusp of the future, it's easy to overlook what's in the present.

The Delhi Metro is far from complete, but it's already nearing obsolescence, with bullet trains and Hyperloops on our minds. Transportation was the cornerstone of the industrial revolution, and many have said that Elon Musk's brainchild, the Hyperloop, will lead us into a new world.

At its core, the Hyperloop is a conception that combines aeroplanes and Maglev trains. The proposed, and now tested, concept runs inside vacuum thereby reducing friction to the point where you can be faster on land than in the air. However, it could be too early to get serious about this concept in India.


Wait but why?

Much like many of our other goals, Hyperloop One (now Virgin Hyperloop One) also plans to begin operations by 2020 in India. In fact, when the company shared its "vision for India" last year, it said freight transport on Hyperloops should start by 2020-21, while passenger travel would take another year. The company changed this target to 2024 when it signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the state government of Maharashtra.

That alone makes it difficult to actually get excited about the MoU. Sure, a lot can happen in the next two years, but a lot can go wrong as well. For instance, we haven't allocated land for building Hyperloops yet, even on the proposed Mumbai-Pune corridor.

Land acquisition has often been the biggest hurdle for development activities in India. Acquiring land clearances was one of the main reasons for the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation missing its 2016 deadline for construction in Phase III.

Land Acquisition remains the logistical bottleneck for Hyperloop in India

What is the Hyperloop?

Admittedly though, that's just conjecture. What's more interesting is an examination of what the Hyperloop actually is. Sure, it's a land-based transportation system that can theoretically travel faster than aircraft. Yet, it's not a transport system for masses.

Virgin claims that it will cater to about 150 million (15 crores) people per year, which is significantly less than the footfall at the Pune Railways Station, reported at 170,000 per day back in 2017. The numbers would look even more overwhelming if compared to the Indian railways. But that's just the point.

Hyperloop doesn't aim to be a mass transit system. It's a fast, but niche transit system. Virgin's target numbers are not without significance, but a truly mainstream transportation system would aim for more, especially in India.

Work in Progress...

Topping off the above is where the Virgin Hyperloop actually stands. The company has conducted successful tests of its pods on the test track in Nevada. Yet, the Hyperloop is far from achieving its theoretical top speeds. Granted that the top speeds aren't particularly necessary to begin operations, a functional Hyperloop concept still doesn't exist anywhere in the world.

In fact, the proposed Mumbai-Pune circuit is yet to undergo feasibility tests ensuring a track is actually possible. Between now and 2024, Virgin's Hyperloop One will be conducting these tests, gaining new partners and perhaps even hoping for government subsidies.

Silver lining...

India could be the first to incorporate Hyperloops in its transportation systems. Documents leaked from Hyperloop One in 2016 revealed that a 107-mile (172.2 km) loop would cost $13 billion. For the 140 km (approx. 87 miles) track between Mumbai and Pune, this cost has been estimated at around $310 million.

Cheap, isn't it? That's one of the major advantages of the Hyperloop system. It's not only a futuristic system, it's a futuristic system that (to the end user) costs just as much as a cab ride. If the loop runs at maximum capacity regularly, Hyperloop One could be looking at achieving profits within five years, something most public transport systems fail to do.

Should India look forward to it?

The answer to that question would depend on what India is for you. In the beginning, the Hyperloop will probably be a system meant for businesses. It could help reduce freight times drastically and eventually move to passenger transport. When it does, it will take you between Mumbai to Pune in under 25 minutes.

For most of India, the Hyperloop will remain a pipe dream for the time being. Even if it is built by 2024, it will likely become a way for the powers that be to toot their horn, at least initially. At its core, the Hyperloop is indeed capable of great things, but greatness was never achieved on conjecture alone. The central problem with this entire system today is that it's all a tad too theoretical, and that makes it difficult to actually take it seriously.

After years of public spotlight, it still remains to be seen if Hyperloop can live upto its unending hype.