Beyond Bullet trains: A new era of rapid transit with Hyperloop technology

Imagine travelling from Chennai to Bengaluru in just 30 minutes on a high-speed rail pod! A group of 50 passionate students from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras was working on a Hyperloop rail model in September 2023 to make this dream come true within the next decade.

The two cities, located in different states and separated by over 350 kilometres, could be connected in just 30 minutes. This would be possible with a pod (a small passenger compartment) that travels through a tube with low air pressure at speeds of 1,000 to 1,800 kilometres per hour, according to the students from the ‘Avishkar Hyperloop team at IIT Madras.

Typically, aeroplanes travel at an average speed of about 800-900 km/h, and Japan’s bullet trains run at around 400-500 km/h. However, we are designing this Hyperloop rail model to travel at almost twice the speed of an aeroplane. To achieve this, we are researching acceleration to understand how much force the human body can handle while travelling in a vehicle moving at such high speeds.

For instance, the G-force (which measures the acceleration we feel due to gravity) will range between 0.7 and 1.1 Gs. We plan to test our prototype, a 400-meter-long tube, early next year by using it to transport cargo. This will help us study the safety of the system. If the test is successful, we will build a 10-kilometre-long tube and eventually scale it up for passenger travel," explained Prateek Sharma, a third-year bioengineering student and the team leader this year.

G-force measures the force of gravity on a body. Humans can tolerate up to 9 Gs briefly with training and equipment; beyond 4-6 Gs, untrained individuals may lose consciousness.

What is a Hyperloop Train?

A Hyperloop is a new transportation concept where people travel in pods (small passenger cabins) that move through a tunnel with very little air inside. This low-air environment helps the pods move extremely fast because there is almost no air resistance. It’s designed to be a quicker and more efficient way to travel compared to trains or cars.

Traditional vehicles like planes, trains, and metros face air resistance, which makes it harder for them to go faster. This resistance limits how quickly they can travel.

In a Hyperloop, the pods travel through a tunnel where most of the air has been removed. This helps the pods move faster because there is very little air resistance.

In traditional trains, the friction between the wheels and the tracks slows them down and limits how fast they can go. The Hyperloop solves this problem by using magnetic levitation (a system where magnets lift and move the pods). This means the pods float above the tracks without touching them, which reduces friction and allows them to travel much faster.

Evolution of the Hyperloop

The idea of fast transportation has always excited people. Back in 1799, George Medhurst, a mechanical engineer from London, came up with the idea of using air pressure to move people through tubes and even patented it. Later, within 100 years, an "atmospheric railway," which worked similarly to the modern Hyperloop, was built in several places. However, this was not a tube train in London; it was an early concept of transportation using air pressure.

In the early 20th century, Robert Goddard, an American known for his work in rocket science, shared the idea of trains travelling through vacuum tunnels. Later, in 1981, Gerard O'Neil wrote about using magnetic propulsion (moving trains with the help of magnets) for high-speed travel across continents in his book. These ideas laid the foundation for modern high-speed transportation concepts like the Hyperloop.

Several attempts to create a Hyperloop were made in the early 2000s, but they didn’t succeed. In 2013, Elon Musk published a paper about the Hyperloop, which reignited interest among scientists and engineers to work on this futuristic way of transportation.

The Working Principle of Hyperloop

The progress of high-speed travel has always been slowed down by air resistance and friction. To solve this, Elon Musk suggested removing most of the air from the tunnel using an electric fan and a compressor. He also proposed that the pods (or capsules) float above the surface, similar to how air hockey pucks (small disks used in the game of air hockey that glide smoothly on a cushion of air) glide. By doing this, both air resistance and friction, the main obstacles to speed, could be greatly reduced.

Hyperloop companies are using magnetic levitation (where magnets lift and move the pods) instead of using air cushions like in air hockey. The pods will travel through specially designed tunnels where most of the air will be removed to reduce resistance. Companies like Virgin Hyperloop One and Hyperloop Transportation Technologies are building their designs based on this idea, combining magnetic levitation and low-air tunnels for faster and smoother travel.

The Hyperloop system runs on electrical energy to move the pods. The pods get their power from external motors called linear induction motors. To supply the needed energy, Elon Musk suggested placing solar panels on top of the Hyperloop tunnels. This would make the system more efficient and sustainable.

Magnetic Levitation

Maglev is a system where the vehicle floats above the tracks instead of touching them. This happens because of electromagnetic forces created between powerful magnets on the vehicle and special coils on the ground. These forces lift the vehicle and push it forward, allowing it to move smoothly and very fast without any friction, unlike regular trains that run on tracks.

Pros and Cons:-

Pros

The Hyperloop offers several benefits that make it a revolutionary mode of transportation:

Saves Travel Time: The Hyperloop can drastically reduce travel time, making long-distance journeys much faster.
Eco-Friendly: It uses an electric propulsion system, which can run on renewable energy sources, as proposed by Elon Musk. This makes it environmentally friendly.
Cost-Effective Land Use: Building vacuum tunnels on elevated pylons (pillars or supports that lift the structure above ground) reduces the need to buy large amounts of land, lowering construction costs.
Reduces City Congestion: With faster transport, people won’t need to live close to their workplaces, encouraging more people to live outside crowded cities and reducing urban congestion.
Operates in All Weather Conditions: Since the system is built inside closed tunnels, it can work smoothly regardless of weather conditions like rain, wind, or snow.
Lower Freight Costs and Time: The Hyperloop can transport goods faster and at a lower cost, reducing the need for air cargo services.
Reduces Harmful Emissions: By using green technologies and renewable energy, the Hyperloop helps lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, making it more eco-friendly.

Cons

While the Hyperloop has many advantages, some challenges need to be addressed:

Straight Routes Are Necessary: The Hyperloop needs routes with minimal curves to maintain its high speed, which can make planning and construction more difficult.
Passenger Comfort: Traveling at extremely high speeds may cause dizziness or discomfort for passengers. More human trials are needed to understand and solve this issue.
Advanced Technology Needed: Building a tunnel that can maintain low pressure (almost like a vacuum) requires highly advanced and specialized technology.
High Construction Costs: The initial cost of building the Hyperloop system is very high, which could make it difficult to start.
Tunnel Maintenance Challenges: Keeping a long tunnel completely airtight and free from leaks is a tough task, especially over long distances.
Emergency Exits: There’s no clear plan yet for how to handle emergencies or provide exits in case of problems inside the tunnel. 

India’s First Hyperloop Test Track Completed: A Big Step in Futuristic Travel

India has reached a major milestone in transportation technology with the completion of its first Hyperloop test track. This 410-meter-long test track was built through a collaboration between Indian Railways and IIT Madras. The announcement was made by Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who shared a video of the track on X (formerly known as Twitter). He credited the achievement to the combined efforts of the Railway team, IIT Madras’ Avishkar Hyperloop team, and TuTr, a startup incubated at IIT Madras.

The project is being driven by IIT Madras’ Avishkar Hyperloop team, which includes 76 students from the institute, working at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. They are collaborating with TuTr, a startup nurtured within the institution, to bring this ambitious vision to life.