A US-based firm developing a near-supersonic mode of onground passenger travel on Sunday signed an ‘intent agreement’ with Maharashtra to build a transport system between Mumbai and Pune which aims to bring down travel time between the two cities to 20 minutes from three hours. Virgin Hyperloop One’s (VHO’s) chairman Richard Branson, who is in Mumbai for the Magnetic Maharashtra summit, said the route for the hyperloop system will pass through the proposed Navi Mumbai International Airport. The fare is too early to decide, but will probably be close to airfares.
“The hyperloop will reduce accidents. Teams are working to study the feasibility of the route,” Branson said. Officials said the final feasibility study may be completed in six months, and construction of a test track can start in early 2019 and finish by 2021-end. If the tests are successful, it would take about four years to build the entire Mumbai-Navi Mumbai-Pune track.