India Railways To Partner IIT-Madras To Build Air Mobility Solutions

Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has reportedly announced that the ministry will collaborate with IIT-Madras to develop vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) vehicles.

As per PTI, the project will be funded by the Ministry of Railways and will look to promote “innovative” means of travel. He made the comments while virtually addressing the closing ceremony of the Global Hyperloop Competition 2025 organised by IIT-Madras. 

For the uninitiated, VTOL simply refers to an aircraft that can take off and land vertically, without needing a runway and takes off from ground similar to a helicopter. A use case for the technology is flying taxis. 

“This will prove to be a very important step in promoting modern and innovative changes in the means of travel,” Vaishnaw reportedly said. 

Noting that the collaboration reflects strong partnership between Indian Railways and the education sector, the Minister said that the move will lead to the promotion of indigenously-built cutting-edge travel technologies at the global level. He also reportedly underlined that the union government was focussed on taking the country ahead on the path of innovation. 

While it remains to be seen whether the Railways-funded project will be utilised for flying taxis, VTOL vehicles could also use cases for aerial surveys and inspections of railway tracks. 

However, it is pertinent to note that design and other approvals for VTOL vehicles fall under the ambit of Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), which is under the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MCA). 

This comes at a time when the government has pushed the pedal on fostering startups in the air mobility space with an eye on tackling the issue of growing urban congestion and creating alternate means of travel. 

Last month, reports surfaced that the MCA was looking to set up a regulatory sandbox for fostering advanced electric air mobility solutions in India. Besides visiting potential field sites for trials, the DGCA has also set up six working groups related to various aspects of advanced air mobility.

In addition, the government, in 2023, also granted design organisation approval (DOA) to aerial mobility startup The ePlane Company, the first step towards commencing commercial operations. 

The development comes at a time when a host of new-age mobility companies are emerging out of India in the VTOL space. In November 2024, The ePlane Company, also an IIT-Madras incubated startup, bagged $14 Mn in its Series B funding round co-led by Speciale Invest and Antares Ventures.

In June last year, IndiGo Airlines’ parent InterGlobe Enterprises was said to be looking to launch electric air taxi services in India by 2026.