New Hyperloop technology to reduce travel time between Mumbai and Pune to 25 minutes

Quintrans Hyperloop, a Pune-based startup, aims to usher in a new era of transportation in India, with its first operational hyperloop cargo system expected in 2027-28. Hyperloop will connect Mumbai and Pune in 25 minutes, faster than an airplane. According to reports, it will provide ultra-high-speed intercity travel between major Indian cities such as Mumbai and Pune, Chennai and Bengaluru, and Delhi and Chandigarh.

Pranay Luniya, the company’s CEO and Co-Founder, predicts that passenger hyperloop services will be operational by 2032-33. Hyperloop technology involves high-speed transportation via low-pressure tubes, which reduces friction and vibration. According to Luniya, the technology has the potential to be one of the safest modes of transportation due to its enclosed design and smooth operation.

He went on to say that Hyperloop could provide significant benefits, with projected ticket prices ranging from Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500 for a journey between Mumbai and Pune lasting less than 25 minutes—faster than flying and about half the cost of a direct flight.

According to a Free Press Journal report, Luniya believes India is a prime market for Hyperloop due to its rapid urbanization and need for improved connectivity.

Quintrans Hyperloop is currently developing a 100-meter pilot setup in Pune to demonstrate the technology. “We are working closely with government entities and have received positive feedback,” said Luniya, who co-founded the company with three of his classmates—Kartik Kulkarni, Aniruddha Atigre, and Prasanna Kidambi—in 2018.

The Maharashtra government previously approved plans for a separate Hyperloop project in 2019, a joint venture with Virgin Group’s Hyperloop One, with the goal of reducing travel time between Mumbai and Pune from three hours to 25 minutes. While the project has faced delays, Quintrans Hyperloop is pushing forward with its plans, hoping to change the future of Indian transportation.