Transport company Hyperloop One is developing and testing a high-speed transport system that could carry passengers at speeds up to 620 mph.
The concept uses magnetic levitation (maglev) pods that would glide through low-pressure tubes, greatly reducing air resistance and allowing much higher speeds than conventional rail.
At an Amsterdam summit in June, the Los Angeles–based company presented a network of proposed European routes. Executives say the system could serve more than 75 million people across 44 cities spanning roughly 3,100 miles, forming a connected continental transport network.
“Our vision is to, one day, connect all of Europe with our Hyperloop One system, networking the entire continent,” said Shervin Pishevar, co‑founder and executive chairman of Hyperloop One.
European proposals highlighted at the summit include connections such as Corsica–Sardinia, Estonia–Finland, Spain–Morocco, and multiple corridors linking Germany, Poland and the Netherlands. In the United Kingdom, suggested services include London–Edinburgh, Liverpool–Glasgow and Cardiff–Glasgow.
In the United States, proposed corridors cover a wide geographic area: Boston–Somerset–Providence, Cheyenne–Houston, Chicago–Columbus–Pittsburgh, Denver–Colorado Springs, Denver–Vail, Kansas City–St. Louis, Los Angeles–San Diego, Miami–Orlando, Reno–Las Vegas, Seattle–Portland and a Texas network connecting Dallas/Fort Worth–Austin–San Antonio–Houston.
Hyperloop One has been conducting tests of its levitating pods and related technologies in the Nevada desert, refining propulsion, levitation and vacuum-tube systems as part of development toward commercial service.
The proposed system emphasizes dramatically reduced travel times, frequent service, and a network design intended to link major population centers. If realized, the technology would represent a new approach to regional and intercity transport, combining maglev principles with low-pressure tube travel to achieve very high speeds with improved energy efficiency compared with some existing modes.