Hyperloop Transportation Technologies has signed an agreement to build a Hyperloop between the Indian cities of Vijaywada and Amaravati, penning its second deal in just three months.
HTT signed a memorandum of understanding with the Indian government to seek out routes and begin early development of the project. It’s expected to take only six months to complete the investigation stage, and construction linking the two cities would begin after that.
Should the Hyperloop be built, it would turn the hour-long journey into a mere six minutes. The project is expected to generate roughly 2,500 jobs, and will include work from both private and public stakeholders, according to TechCrunch.
New jobs and a new transportation system in the region should help support the regional economy. The company is also working on projects in South Korea, Indonesia and France.
Competition for developing Hyperloop technology has heated up in recent months, as the SpaceX sponsored pod competition saw a student group create a pod that traveled 202 mph on the test track.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk later beat this record with his own “Hyperloop pusher pod,” which traveled at 220 mph. Musk said he expects 300 mph to be within reach.
Musk has recently announced that he would also like to develop his own Hyperloop technology. The Boring Company later backed up this claim, saying that its tunnels would be used for high speed transportation systems that will support the Hyperloop.
“Most will be standard pressurized tunnels with electric skates going 125+ mph. For long-distance routes in straight lines, such as NY to DC, it will make sense to use pressurized pods in a depressurized tunnel to allow speeds up to approximately 600+ mph (aka Hyperloop),” the company said.
Overall, the Hyperloop in India can be seen as a step in the right direction for a nation with past railway problems. As HTT develops and installs the Hyperloop, the project will hopefully provide an economic benefit to the area.
