[TusharK]

Reliance Industries Limited has acquired a 12.7% stake in SkyTran - a US-based personal rapid transit systems company.



Reliance Industries and SkyTran will be working closely to develop rapid transit systems on a pilot basis in India and later expand it into a network. Reliance will further develop SkyTran's transport solution to make it faster, safer, eco-friendly and economical.

SkyTran has developed magnetic levitation technologies for personal transportation systems in partnership with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). It consists of computer-controlled passenger pods that run on patented Passive Magnetic Levitation technology. The company holds 8 patents and has over 40 patents pending approval.

Source: Business Today

Link to Team-BHP News

[digitalnirvana]

This is big news, even though it seems like a moonshot but going by the track record of RIL they will be looking to implement it and make money. We finally have a possibility of true urban Mass Rapid Transport systems and a competitor to the likes of Hyperloop

[V.Narayan]

Interesting technology. Went through their web site. I am quite sure this is a solution for mass transport or congestion and certainly not for India or China with their vast population and gigantic urban concentrations. What this is doing is to use the infrastructure akin to an elevated rail like the metro in Delhi-NCR and then use it not transport one or a few passenger at a time in a module instead of a 9-rake train carrying 600+ seated passengers at a go. No matter how closely spaced apart these individual modules are they cannot take the volumes of a multi-rake train.

To give you a perspective of the extent of our traffic challenge let's look at facts. Delhi-NCR has a population of 4.61 crores. This includes the extended NCR. This is greater than the populations of large countries such as Argentina, Poland, Malaysia, Algeria, Canada, Australia and so on.

There is only so much elevated space in our cities - that precious asset has to be used carefully for the maximum yield for mass transit - and not for a super high cost solution no matter how new or sexy the tech is. How scarce elevated space is can be seen if you drive from Mumbai Crawford Market to say Lalbaug on the elevated road with the edge of the flyover within touching space of the balconies of Mohd Ali Road.

Similar ideas have been proposed time and again since the 1950s. You only need to go through old issues of Popular Mechanics to see them. Doesn't look like a solution for India. It could work for countries with lower population in their urban centres. Just my two paisa. I am sure Reliance have their reasons for investing including access to technology to be used elsewhere. Sometimes when you have too much cash there is an eagerness to invest somewhere-anywhere-somehow. Who knows.

[SmartCat]

Originally Posted by digitalnirvana

We finally have a possibility of true urban Mass Rapid Transport systems

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

I am quite sure this is a solution for mass transport or congestion and certainly not for India or China with their vast population and gigantic urban concentrations.

From what I understand, this is NOT a mass rapid transport system - SkyTran is personal rapid transport system (bad idea). SkyTran pod's interiors:



It is obvious they were inspired by The Jetsons

[wheelguy]

Reliance Industries Ltd increases its stake in SkyTran to 26.31%.

Source