Hyperloop: The fifth mode of transportation!

 Hyperloop: 

The fifth mode of transportation! Will it be successful?

The new hyperloop technology can be the 5th mode of transportation after railway, roadway, airway and maritime. Being the fastest form of transportation, it may bring the revolution in transport sector. Here we have tried to explain you that what hyperloop actually is and its possible merits and demerits.

Hyperloop: what is it? 

‘Time is money ! The more you save the time, the more you gain money. The more you waste the  time, the more you lost money.’ In the case of transportation, this statement is quite true. By reducing the time required for transportation, we can save a lot of money. Therefore, we have to make transportation faster and faster in accordance to make it economical and profitable. In this sense,  Hyperloop seems capable of revolutionizing the transportation industry due to its super-fast speed and, therefore, may generate a positive economic impact on the world.  

Hyperloop is nothing but a new type of ground transportation system. Currently it is in it's early developing stage. there are a number of companies which are working on the development of this project. As mentioned above,  It’s a ultra-high-speed transportation system, theoretically, could bring passengers from city to city in less then an hour, travelling at the top speed of 1220km/h. 

Visionary business Entrepreneur and founder of the companies like TESLA MOTORS and SpaceX, Elon musk proposed the concept of hyperloop in 2013. According to Musk,  the Hyperloop could be safer, faster and more affordable than the current modes of transportation. 

How does it work?

 

Lesser the friction, faster the speed. This is the basic principal for hyperloop. It consists of passenger pods (or capsule) which travels trough a tube either above or below the ground level. To reduce the friction most of the air is removed from the tube. Less air resistance allows it to travel at very high speed. The pods accelerates gradually via electric propulsion through low pressure tube. The pod floats along the track using magnetic levitation and moves at high speed due to low air resistance. 

 

Possible Merits

 

• Hyperloop is more environmental friendly than the other existing modes of transportation as it will  run on electricity and solar energy. 

 

• The makers of hyperloop claims that, the pods (capsule) under the tube can accelerate to 1220km/h; nearly twice that the speed of an aircraft!

 

• Hyperloop tubes are completely sealed and closed. Also it  can be Construct above or below the ground and therefore will not be affected by weather and other external obstructions.

 

• As compare to other modes of transportation, Hyperloop has very low power consumption.

• It might be a good alternative for air-travel.

Possible demerits 

 

• The passengers can suffer from dizziness due to its super-fast speed.  

 

• The  hyperloop pods are windowless and has very limited space within it. This might be a discomfort for the passengers.

 

• The manufacturing and maintenance cost for this project is supposed to be very high as compared to normal trains.

 

• Land acquisition will be so costly and it might be a subject to concern.

 

• From the security point of view, it will be dangerous, if any error Occurs in the system, As the hyperloop tubes are sealed and closed.

Hyperloop Vs high-speed bullet trains: which is better?

The first bullet train ‘tokaido shinkansen’, was introduced in japan in 1964. So, the bullet train is not new for the world as it is there from decades. On the other hand, the concept of hyperloop is nearly a century old, but when multi billionaire entrepreneur Elon musk proposed the idea of hyperloop, it gained world's attention.

One major difference between hyperloop and bullet train is that the hyperloop won't be running on the conventional tracks but instead, the pods will travel trough a tube at subsonic speed.

Hyperloop is comparatively faster than bullet train as it offers double or triple the speed as of an bullet train. The fastest maglev bullet train till now, has speed of 431km/h, which is just 1/3rd of the speed of hyperloop. 

As compare to bullet train, hyperloop could be more environmental friendly because there will be no direct emission. 

From many decades, bullet trains are running without any major accident. In fact, shinkansen bullet train rail network in japan, has never witness any accident or  passenger fatality in it’s history of 57 years. On the contrast , many experts has raised concerns regarding to the security in the hyperloop while it is still in it’s early developing stage.

At this moment, Many Asian and European countries have built high-speed rail infrastructure. For example, China, Japan, France, Germany, Russia etc. Also many countries including India, south Africa, Indonesia, Australia, Thailand etc. are planning to run their first high-speed bullet train by near future.

 On the other hand, Hyperloop is still in it's early development stage and has not been used even once. But many countries including America, India, UAE etc. have shown interest in this project.

 

Do we really need Hyperloop?

 

Yes. We need fast transportation for fast development, And therefore research and new innovations in transportation industry is must. If hyperloop is safe and profitable, then there is no point in opposing it for trivial reasons. We have to adopt  new technologies with new times.

 So, it can be the 5th  mode of transportation and if everything goes well, then may be we will see each other soon, travelling in pods of hyperloop and reaching Pune from Mumbai in just 30 minutes!