Image: Melpomene/Shutterstock
While the technology is yet to get past the testing stage, Hyperloop One has revealed nine proposed routes across Europe, from Scotland to Morocco.
The Hyperloop future proposed by Elon Musk, of super-fast passenger trains barrelling down tubes in a vacuum, appears to be starting to take shape.
While SpaceX held the first Hyperloop challenge for engineers on its purpose-built test track earlier this year, private companies like Hyperloop One have begun discussions with various governments about possibly bringing routes to their countries.
The company has revealed nine proposed routes that could criss-cross Europe. It hopes individuals, universities, companies and governments can help bring these to fruition as part of its Global Challenge.
The proposed routes would connect more than 75m people in 44 cities, spanning 5,000km.
The longest proposed route would stretch a distance just short of 2,000km in Germany, linking many of the country’s major cities, including Berlin, Munich, Cologne and Hamburg.
The proposed German route. Image: Hyperloop One
The second longest, at 1,060km, would cover much of the UK. Starting in Glasgow, it would make its way to Edinburgh, down the east coast and through the midlands, before winding around London and across to Cardiff.
The proposed UK route. Image: Hyperloop One
The only route that would leave the confines of Europe would be the 629km route linking Spain with Morocco, in North Africa, starting in Madrid and ending in Tangier.
The proposed Spain-Morocco route. Image: Hyperloop One
Other proposed locations for Hyperloop tracks include one connecting the Mediterranean islands of Corsica and Sardinia, spanning a distance of 451km.
Perhaps the most ambitious suggested route is the one between the Finnish capital, Helsinki, and the Estonian capital of Tallinn, which would need to bridge the nearly 90km-wide channel of the Baltic Sea.
The proposed Estonia-Finland route. Image: Hyperloop One
All of these routes will now progress to a final selection process, during which a panel of judges will decide on what could be some of the first Hyperloop routes anywhere on Earth.
“Hyperloop One will offer Europe’s transport grid with an option that is more efficient, greener, on-demand and faster,” said the company’s CEO, Rob Lloyd.
“We’ve seen a lot of interest here, and we look forward to creating a partnership to enhance the continent’s transport infrastructure.”
Early last year, Hyperloop’s rival, Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, revealed it had held discussions with the Slovakian government about building a route there to connect the country to major cities, such as Vienna in Austria.
