Disaster-Resilient Transportation Corridors for Tourism and Trade Development in Nepal: A Comparative Assessment of Hyperloop, High-Speed Railway, and High-Speed Highway

https://doi.org/10.46610/JoTS.2026.v011i03.004

Abstract

Nepal’s rugged terrain and frequent landslides, floods, and earthquakes pose significant challenges to transport connectivity, reliability, tourism, trade, and disaster response. This study presents a conceptual comparative assessment of hyperloop, high-speed railway, and high-speed highway (expressway) across three proposed trans-Himalayan corridors: Gorakhpur-Lumbini-Swargadwari-Pokhara-Kathmandu, Patna-Birgunj-Nijgadh-Kathmandu, and Kerung-Kathmandu-Everest Base Camp. The study integrates secondary data, Google Earth/GIS-based elevation analysis, and published cost and operating-speed benchmarks to estimate route lengths, tunnel and bridge requirements, construction costs, and travel times. The proposed three corridors span approximately 439 km, 260.8 km, and 204 km, respectively, requiring 28 tunnels and 313 bridges in total. Across the three corridors, estimated capital costs were USD 9.50-26.10 billion for hyperloop, USD 4.28-9.22 billion for High-Speed Railway, and USD 3.87-8.34 billion for high-speed highway. Corresponding travel times ranged from 20.40-43.90 min for hyperloop, 34.97-75.00 min for High-Speed Railway, and 122-263 min for high-speed highway. Hyperloop offers the fastest travel times but requires substantially higher investment and remains subject to technological and implementation uncertainties. High-speed highway provides the lowest initial cost, whereas high-speed railway offers a comparatively balanced combination of cost, travel time, and technological maturity. The findings provide a preliminary basis for resilient transport investment in Nepal, supporting phased development of expressways and high-speed railways in the near term while positioning hyperloop as a potential longer-term option as its technological maturity advances.