A proposed site for the hyperloop station to be built in Chennai is New Manali Town so we went down there to get a better look and understanding of the physical context there. The field visit allowed for more conversations to happen and we got to better understand the dark grey underbelly of the logistics supply chain from a few of the truck drivers themselves, without whom the whole supply chain would freeze up. We got to understand their lives as well as their roles in the cargo side of the transportation sector. There was also a brief interaction with an urban planner, Rishi Raghav, who works with UN Habitat in New Delhi who fortunately happened to be in Chennai. The importance of planning in a transportation system and the perspective of a planner towards design and other stakeholders were discussed briefly. Further conversations will take place soon.
