Minister of Railways visits Avishkar Hyperloop!


When you climb a mountain, you’re too focused on the rock in front of you to look left, right, up or down. You just hold on and keep climbing. Suddenly, you realise you’re closer to reaching the zenith than you thought you were.

It was a historic day for Avishkar Hyperloop, a team that has always focused on climbing higher and higher, when we realised how far we have come from where we had started. We started as a competition team, with the sole objective of participating in the SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition, which we achieved in 2019. Along the way, we set sight on a larger goal and began working towards developing scalable Hyperloop technologies to realise the dream of the Indian Hyperloop. Along the way, we joined hands with many organisations that have enabled us to come this far. And now, we are glad to announce that we have secured the support of the Indian Railways for our journey ahead.

On the aforementioned historic day, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, the Hon’ble Minister of Railways, Communication and Electronics and Information Technology graced us with his presence at the Centre for Innovation (CFI) at IIT Madras. Our Director, Professor Kamakoti and our Faculty Advisor, Professor Satya Chakravarty took the Minister on a tour of our workspace, where our team demonstrated various technologies under development to the Minister. Impressed by our work, and to our surprise and jubilation, he announced the government’s all-round support for the project.

Honourable Mr Ashwini Vaishnaw has announced his support for our BAG (big ambitious goal) of 500m vacuum tube project and sanctioned funding of Rs. 8.34 Crores for setting up a Centre of Excellence at IIT Madras, to accelerate indigenous Hyperloop development. The honourable Minister’s kind words have reinvigorated the team and boosted our morale. Our 71 member team just became 72 members strong, with Honourable Mr. Vaishnaw as the newest team member. Welcome aboard, Sir!

We are extremely grateful to the Indian Railways for their support, which is unparalleled and unprecedented for any student-led team in India. The support and confidence that they have displayed in us, is invaluable to us. This day is a milestone in our journey, as it has shown us how far we have come, and how much farther up we have to go. All of us are working harder than ever and are sure to soar higher than ever, with the Indian Railways and the industry experts as the wind beneath our wings.

#LeapOntoTheLoop

Best Wishes,

Avishkar Hyperloop