India’s Government of Maharashtra has approved the Virgin Hyperloop One-DP World (VHO-DPW) Consortium as the Original Project Proponent (OPP) for the all-electric Pune-Mumbai hyperloop project. This will link Pune to the Jawaharlal Nehru Port in under 35 minutes, as opposed to the current 3.5+ hours by road, and could be operational by 2025.
“Support for hyperloop transportation systems is mounting across the world and India has led the charge to bring hyperloop to fruition since the early stages of development,” said Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, group chairman and CEO of DP World and chairman of Virgin Hyperloop One. “To be named OPP is an incredible vote of confidence in our ability to deliver this advanced technology to the people of India and enhance their lives.”
In addition to offering a sustainable form of mass transportation with zero direct emissions, the hyperloop project is anticipated to generate hundreds of thousands of new high-tech jobs, create over US$36bn in wider socio-economic benefits, and create new hyperloop component and manufacturing opportunities for Maharashtra to export to India and the rest of the world.
DP World is set to invest US$500m in private capital to complete Phase One of the project. Further foreign direct investment is expected.
