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13/04/2019 - Science and Technology

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April 13, 2019

What is meant by Hyperloop technology? Why it is more viable in India as compared to other countries? Discuss the potential implications of this technology.(200 Words)

Refer - Business Line

Enrich the answer from other sources, if the question demands.

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IAS Parliament 5 years

KEY POINTS

A hyperloop is a sealed tube or system of tubes through which a pod may travel free of air resistance or friction conveying people or objects at high speed while being very efficient.

Viability in India

·        The Maharashtra government has already declared it an official infrastructure project.

·        An estimated 80 to 199 million passengers travel between the two Indian cities annually, hyperloop can meet this demand by sending pods several times per minute.

·        Support from Central and State Government.

Potential implications

Positive

The pod floats through Magnetic Levitation so  the energy consumption is low.

·        The technology offers very fast speed of transportation which is twice that of aircraft. 

·        It has very low power consumption. 

·        It is low cost transportation system on long run. 

·        It is immune to bad weather conditions. 

·        It is resistant to earthquakes. 

 

Negative

·        High speed of capsule (almost at speed of sound) may cause dizziness to the passengers travelling due to vibration and jostling. 

·        Initial cost of investment to have the system in place is very high.

·        Moreover this is costly and also risky to maintain. 

·        Land use rights will be concern for deployment of the project. 

·        It has limited space in the train and hence people can not move freely. 

·        As hyperloop uses steel for track, it expands and changes shape when outside temperature is changed. This may destroy the track of hyperloop technology.

cseaspirant 5 years

Hello Sir/Ma'am, Can you please suggest how to improve the structuring ?

Hyperloop technology is a new disruptive technology in the field of mobility. 

In this , hyperloop or a tube is maintained without any air, only vacuum and the pod / Capsule is made to travel inside this loop using Magnetic levitation, thus avoiding friction. 

American Hyperloop manufacturer Virgin Hyperloop one, has recently announced that India's Mumbai to Pune will be the first commercial use of Hyperloop in the world 

    out of the 2600 entries received through a competition, Hyperloop one has selected India's Mumbai-Pune route as its first

Suitability of India : 

    - In India, its expected that nearly 80- 160 million passengers will be using these trains for commute

    - Project work started 3 years ago, and considerable base work has already been done these years putting India ahead of the competition 

    - Hyperloop will reduce the rapid urbanization of India, as it greatly reduce distances and thus promotes living in far off places from work 

 

Implications : 

    Hyperloop will have positive impacts on the economy as : 

            - it uses green fuel , and less carbon emission 

            - no friction, thus ensures optimum fuel consumption 

            - reduces commute time, shrinking distances and thus decongesting the cities

            - will encourage people to use public transport and thus reduce individual contribution to Carbon emissions    

            - Hyperloop one has mentioned that prices will also be cheaper, will be almost same as normal bus ticket's price

    However it can have negative impacts, 

            - Hyperloop has not been tested with humans yet, thus puts a possibility of risk

            - Initial infrastructure costs are so high

            - Land acquisition will hinder the progress, especially if farmlands have to be acquired

       

Hyperloop will be a solution to India's urban mobility problems, however just one route wont suffice. But this will put India in the world map for being the first country and add to its prestige. 

      

IAS Parliament 5 years

Good answer. Keep Writing.

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