India’s Hyperloop Goals to Touch World Record

India is racing toward a transportation revolution, with hyperloop technology at the center of its ambitions. From building Asia’s longest hyperloop test tube to placing the world’s first live commercial order for hyperloop‑based cargo logistics, the country is positioning itself as a global leader in high‑speed, carbon‑neutral mobility.

Asia’s Longest Hyperloop Tube

• Location: IIT Madras, Chennai
• Length: 410 meters (1,345 feet) — currently the longest hyperloop test tube in Asia
• Technology: Developed entirely with indigenous engineering and materials
• Purpose: A test facility for pods designed to travel at speeds exceeding 1,000 km/h (621 mph)
• Global Standing: With planned extensions, IIT Madras could soon host the world’s longest hyperloop test track

This achievement underscores India’s commitment to self‑reliance in advanced transport R&D and sets the stage for real‑world hyperloop deployment.

World’s First Commercial Hyperloop Cargo Order

In January 2026, India made history by placing the world’s first live commercial order for hyperloop‑based cargo logistics. Reported by Urban Transport News, this milestone marks the transition of hyperloop from experimental technology to real‑world logistics deployment.

• Global First: India became the first country to move hyperloop beyond pilot testing into commercial use
• Cargo Focus: The order emphasizes freight logistics, aligning with India’s industrial priorities
• Strategic Leap: This positions India ahead of global competitors in hyperloop adoption
• Policy Backing: The move dovetails with India’s mega mobility plan, which includes hyperloop alongside ropeways, electric rapid transit, and cable cars

India’s Planned Hyperloop Corridors

Mumbai–Pune

• Status: Approved pilot project of 40 km
• Travel Time: Cut from 3 hours to 25 minutes
• Focus: Passenger transport
• Challenges: Land acquisition and high costs (~₹70,000 crore)

Delhi–Mumbai

• Status: Proposal by DGWHyperloop
• Travel Time: Delhi–Mumbai in 80 minutes
• Focus: Freight‑first corridor, enabling cargo delivery at 1,000 km/h
• Impact: Could transform logistics across India’s busiest industrial belt

Bengaluru–Chennai

• Status: Early‑stage proposal
• Travel Time: ~350 km journey reduced to 30 minutes
• Focus: Passenger transport linking two tech hubs

📊 Global Context

Location	Length	Status	Notes
IIT Madras, India	410 m	Longest in Asia	Indigenous tech
USA (Virgin Hyperloop, Nevada)	~500 m	Test track	Private‑led
Switzerland (Swisspod)	~200 m	Operational	European R&D
Spain (Zeleros)	~100 m	Prototype	Scalable design

⚠️ Possible Challenges

• Cost: Projects often exceed ₹50,000–70,000 crore
• Safety: Passenger safety at extreme speeds remains unproven globally
• Policy Framework: India needs a dedicated hyperloop certification and regulatory system
• Global Competition: The US, UAE, and Europe are also advancing hyperloop R&D

Strategic Outlook

India’s hyperloop journey is no longer just conceptual—it’s moving into commercial reality. With Asia’s longest test tube operational, a pilot corridor approved, ambitious freight‑first proposals, and the world’s first commercial hyperloop cargo order, India is aiming not just to catch up but to set world records in hyperloop deployment.

If successful, these projects could redefine how people and goods move across the subcontinent, making India a global hub for futuristic transport innovation.

Mumbai-Pune Hyperloop Project gets Infrastructure Status

The Maharashtra government on Tuesday accorded the infrastructure status to the Mumbai-Pune ultra-fast hyperloop transport project that seeks to reduce the travel time between the two cities to just 23 minutes. At present, the travel time taken by trains between the two cities is three-and-a-half to four hours.

The state Cabinet approved a proposal to give infrastructure status to the project at a meeting in Mumbai.

The Cabinet also approved formation of a consortium of DP World FZE and Hyperloop Technologies as proponents of the original project, according to a statement from the Chief Minister's Office.

Hyperloop is a ultramodern, superfast transport project which is being implemented to link Mumbai and Pune,
which are located around 200km apart. It will run from BKCin Mumbai to Wakadin Pune, covering a distance of 117.5 km.

The hyperloop train will run at a speed of 496 km per hour and cover the distance between the two cities in just 23
minutes, the statement said.

The FDI in the entire project, which will take seven years for completion, is to the tune of Rs 70,000 crore, the
statement said.

In the first phase, the project will be run on a pilot basis for 11.8km in the Pune Metropolitan region at a cost of
Rs 5,000 crore, it added. PTI MR

Hyperloop India Finds Its Sponsor in Chennai's Hindustan University

Get ready, people; India's dream of being on the world map of futuristic transport technology just got a step closer. A month ago, we shared how Hyperloop India, a unique multi-disciplinary multi-university think tank working on reinventing transportation in India had partnered with Bengaluru-based Workbench Projects to build the first pod prototype that could travel twice the speed of a airplane’s speed. While everything else was on track, the only problem that they were facing was in finding funding for the project. And now, that obstacle has been cleared by Chennai-based Hindustan University.

According to latest development, Hindustan University, which is considered amongst the crucial pioneers of Aeronautical Engineering in the Indian subcontinent has agreed to sponsor the Hyperloop India team, which will help them in realising their mission of participating in the final stage of Elon Musk's SpaceX Hyperloop Competition Weekend to be held soon in Hawthorne, California.

Hyperloop India consists of 80 students from BITS Pilani, Indian School of Business (ISB), IIM-Ahmedabad, National Institute of Design, RV College of Engineering, Xavier’s Institute of Management, amongst others. Their pod prototype ‘OrcaPod’, which inspired by Orca, the whale, has been selected for the final stage of SpaceX’s Hyperloop Pod Design competition. The Pod is scheduled to be officially unveiled to the world in the last week of July, 2017 at Bengaluru.

For the uninitiated, the Hyperloop system is actually a concept proposed by technology entrepreneur Elon Musk in the year 2012 wherein trains can travel at supersonic speeds up to 800mph (1,300km/h) using reduced pressure tubes. These Pressurised capsule pods also known as the train carriages will ride on an air cushion in steel tubes driven by linear induction motors and air compressors, which allows them to go faster than the trains that are currently in motion. This concept was originally conceptualised and prototyped by American inventor Alfred Beach in the 19th century.

Though Musk proposed the concept, he made clear that he is not interested in commercialising the technology by himself. Hence, now several startups are working on different methods to make their own version of the technology. Hyperloop India is one of these many firms.

Hindustan University has inked a partnership deal with Hyperloop India, which will see the Chennai-based University providing the company a monetary assistance of Rs. 11.5 lakh. The University considers the sponsorship deal as its own way of making a small contribution in encouraging innovation in students to change the future of transport all around the world, especially India.

Commenting on the MoU signed between the two parties, Ashok Verghese, Director, Hindustan University said to The News Minute, “As a country poised towards growth, India has to encourage innovation to bring about solutions to its diverse problems. Also, the purpose of engineers is to resolve those problems in a technically feasible and commercially viable mode."

Hyperloop India Finds Its Sponsor in Chennai's Hindustan University

Get ready, people; India's dream of being on the world map of futuristic transport technology just got a step closer. A month ago, we shared how Hyperloop India, a unique multi-disciplinary multi-university think tank working on reinventing transportation in India had partnered with Bengaluru-based Workbench Projects to build the first pod prototype that could travel twice the speed of a airplane’s speed. While everything else was on track, the only problem that they were facing was in finding funding for the project. And now, that obstacle has been cleared by Chennai-based Hindustan University.

According to latest development, Hindustan University, which is considered amongst the crucial pioneers of Aeronautical Engineering in the Indian subcontinent has agreed to sponsor the Hyperloop India team, which will help them in realising their mission of participating in the final stage of Elon Musk's SpaceX Hyperloop Competition Weekend to be held soon in Hawthorne, California.

Hyperloop India consists of 80 students from BITS Pilani, Indian School of Business (ISB), IIM-Ahmedabad, National Institute of Design, RV College of Engineering, Xavier’s Institute of Management, amongst others. Their pod prototype ‘OrcaPod’, which inspired by Orca, the whale, has been selected for the final stage of SpaceX’s Hyperloop Pod Design competition. The Pod is scheduled to be officially unveiled to the world in the last week of July, 2017 at Bengaluru.

For the uninitiated, the Hyperloop system is actually a concept proposed by technology entrepreneur Elon Musk in the year 2012 wherein trains can travel at supersonic speeds up to 800mph (1,300km/h) using reduced pressure tubes. These Pressurised capsule pods also known as the train carriages will ride on an air cushion in steel tubes driven by linear induction motors and air compressors, which allows them to go faster than the trains that are currently in motion. This concept was originally conceptualised and prototyped by American inventor Alfred Beach in the 19th century.

Though Musk proposed the concept, he made clear that he is not interested in commercialising the technology by himself. Hence, now several startups are working on different methods to make their own version of the technology. Hyperloop India is one of these many firms.

Hindustan University has inked a partnership deal with Hyperloop India, which will see the Chennai-based University providing the company a monetary assistance of Rs. 11.5 lakh. The University considers the sponsorship deal as its own way of making a small contribution in encouraging innovation in students to change the future of transport all around the world, especially India.

Commenting on the MoU signed between the two parties, Ashok Verghese, Director, Hindustan University said to The News Minute, “As a country poised towards growth, India has to encourage innovation to bring about solutions to its diverse problems. Also, the purpose of engineers is to resolve those problems in a technically feasible and commercially viable mode."

Hyperloop India Pacts With Bengaluru Startup To Build First Pod Prototype; To Raise Funds Via Ketto

Six months after the first proposal of building a modern transportation system in India gained ground, Hyperloop India has taken its first step.

Founded in 2015 by a small group of students from BITS Pilani, Team Hyperloop India is a unique multi-disciplinary multi-university think tank consisting of 60+ motivated student volunteers in the fields of engineering and business, interested in reinventing transportation in India. As a primarily student collaboration, our plan is to leverage our performance in global incentive prize competitions to leapfrog transportation in India.

Hyperloop India, which has got backing from Elon Musk, has partnered with Workbench Projects, a Bengaluru-based start-up, which will build the first pod prototype that hypothetically claims to be immune from weather conditions, collision free, travels twice the speed a airplane's speed, consumes low power and comes with energy storage for a whole day.

“We have signed the partnership with Hyperloop India for building a 4x2 metre pod", said Workbench Projects Founder and CEO Pavan Kumar. Engineers from Tesla and SpaceX are working on this transportation pod, which can be used anywhere in the world.

Hyperloop India consists of 80 students from BITS Pilani, Indian School of Business (ISB), IIM-Ahmedabad, National Institute of Design, RV College of Engineering, Xavier’s Institute of Management, amongst others. Their pod prototype 'OrcaPod' has been selected for the final stage of SpaceX’s Hyperloop Pod Design competition, which will be held in California. While the pod is still in the making, the design will be inspired by Orca, the whale.

Hyperlooop India along with Workbench Projects is looking to raise the funds through crowdfunding platform Ketto, to build this pod in India. The amount that they are looking to raise is around Rs. 75 lakh, which, according to Sibesh Kar, Team Lead and Founder, Hyperloop India, would be used to build a most frugal pod in the world.

“The average cost of building (pod) would be Rs. 3 crore,” he said.

Ketto will start an online campaign from late evening under the title 'Join the Loop’ to invite contributions from all over the world, he said. “The campaign will run for the next 45 days, and aims to raise Rs 30 lakh or more to build the – OrcaPod prototype

So far, Hyperlooop and Workbench have managed to raise Rs. 30 lakh from a few corporates and both the Central and Karnataka governments have lent their support for this project.

Further, most of the materials such as high-grade aluminum or FRC will be sourced from India but the magnet, will be sourced from China.

Kar explained that the electrical components, electronics, which would include software programming will all be done locally.

When asked about Intellectual Property, Kar said that as it is still being built and the technology of hyperloop is itself in a nascent stage, the company wants to focus on building the pod first.

Around 80 people, across different disciplines such as engineering, economics and software programmers are collaborating to build this pod.

Hyperloop Transportation Begins Passenger Capsule Construction for Delivery in Early 2018

Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT) has begun construction of the world’s first full scale Passenger Hyperloop Capsule. This first capsule is the culmination of over three years and thousands of hours of design, research, and analysis.

Construction is underway for delivery and an official reveal in early 2018 at HTT’s R&D center in Toulouse, France for integration and optimization. The capsule will then be utilized in a commercial system soon to be announced from the ongoing negotiations and feasibility studies currently taking place around the world.

HTT’s passenger capsule is being built in collaboration with Carbures S.A. (MaB: CAR), a leading expert in fuselage and advanced materials construction in both aeronautics and aerospace. The final specs for the capsule are:

• Length: 30 meters (98.5 feet)



• Diameter: 2.7 meters (9 feet)



• Weight: 20 tons



• Passenger capacity: 28-40



• Speed: Up to 1223 km/h (760 mph)

"We are building the world’s first full scale passenger hyperloop capsule,” HTT CEO Dirk Ahlborn said. “We are taking a passenger first approach to guarantee that safety is always our number one concern. It has been crucial in our development to go past the simple requirements of freight in order to build a better and safer system for everyone."

“This is a fascinating project utilizing our expertise and technology around the world," said Carbures Cofounder and Chairman Rafael Contreras. “We are pleased to work in this innovative, global, and important project.”

"Carbures is a consolidated leader in the structural composites world with over 15 years of experience," said HTT Board Member Ramón Betolaza. "With over 1000 employees, eight manufacturing plants and five engineering centers, they are the perfect partner for HTT."

Carbures works on a global level with fuselages for the aviation industry. Their global positioning is especially well placed for the growing number of regions, including France, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Indonesia, and the United Arab Emirates, currently working with HTT to develop HyperloopTM systems with more regions to be announced soon.

Apart from above countries, HTT also had talks with India in February this year and is currently seeking a nod from the Indian government to begin trials for their high-speed transportation technology in the country.

“We have some of the best global talent as part of our team,” said HTT Chairman Bibop Gresta. “Tapping into this expertise ensures we are able to build not just faster, but better. Hyperloop comes to life because we’re building this company in a smarter way.”