Richard Branson Wants To Build A High-Speed Hyperloop In India

LUCY NICHOLSON / REUTERS

Richard Branson's project, Virgin Hyperloop One, seeks to decrease travel time using vacuum-based underground tunnels.

British billionaire Richard Branson has announced plans to build a high-speed shuttle in India that could potentially revolutionize travel in the country.

 

The proposed hyperloop route between Mumbai and Pune, two major cities in the western state of Maharashtra, would reduce travel time from over three hours by train to just 25 minutes, according to a Virgin press release.

Branson, co-founder of the British multinational conglomerate, signed a preliminary agreement with Maharashtra’s government on Sunday, the Press Trust of India reports. The project will now undergo an extensive feasibility study.

“I believe Virgin Hyperloop One could have the same impact upon India in the 21st century as trains did in the 20th century,” Branson said in the press release. “The Pune-Mumbai route is an ideal first corridor as part of a national hyperloop network that will dramatically reduce travel times between most of India’s major cities to under two hours.”