ARCELORMITTAL PARTNERS WITH IIT MADRAS TO CREATE ASIA’S FIRST HYPERLOOP FACILITY

ArcelorMittal announces that it has established a partnership with Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) and is working closely with IIT Madras’ Hyperloop Technology teams - Avishkar Hyperloop, student team and TuTr Hyperloop, a start-up incubated at IIT Madras, which are developing cost-effective Hyperloop technologies for passenger and cargo mobility at scale.

ArcelorMittal and AM/NS India are providing foundational steel materials, as well as engineering, design and project management expertise to support the creation of India’s and Asia’s first Hyperloop test track at IIT Madras’ 163-acre Discovery Campus at Thaiyur, on the outskirts of Chennai. The Hyperloop team’s central objective is the advancement and commercialisation of Hyperloop technologies for high-speed, affordable, reliable and sustainable transportation. India’s Ministry of Railways is a key partner to this Hyperloop technology development initiative at IIT Madras.

AM/NS India is supplying almost 400 tonnes of steel for the fabrication of a 400-metre vacuum tube at the site, in which autonomous, levitating pods will be tested at speeds of up to 200 kilometres per hour.

AMDEC, ArcelorMittal’s design and engineering arm based in India, is also posting experienced engineers on secondment to the Hyperloop team to help oversee project progress and provide design and engineering expertise during a pivotal stage of the installation process. The test facility is expected to be operational by the end of Q1 2024.

Following the completion of the proof-of-concept phase, the next stage would be the development of an operational demonstration route for a real-world use-case to validate the techno-commercial prospects of this Hyperloop technology.