Last year, billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk announced a global competition in which countries could put forward potential routes for his ultra-high-speed Hyperloop One network, a futuristic train that is propelled through tubes at up to 670 mph.
The first new kind of public transportation to be developed in over 100 years – instead of wheels, it uses magnetic levitation to hover above the tracks – it has already undergone a series of successful test phases (a prototype has been built in the Nevada desert outside of Las Vegas), bringing it ever closer to its 2021 launch goal.
Shervin Pishevar, co-founder and executive chairman of Hyperloop One, says: “The Hyperloop One Global Challenge started as a call to action for innovators, engineers, trailblazers and dreamers around the world who shared our vision of creating a new mode of transportation.
“It became a movement of thousands of people from more than 100 countries over six continents. Like us, they believe that Hyperloop will not only solve transportation and urban development challenges within communities, it will unlock vast economic potential and transform how our cities operate and how we live. Our successful test this summer made Hyperloop a reality, and now we’re ready to bring our Hyperloop system to the world.”
Rob Lloyd, CEO of Hyperloop One, says: “The results of the Hyperloop One Global Challenge far exceeded our expectations. We had tremendous interest in this competition, and these ten teams each had their unique strengths in showcasing how they will alleviate serious transportation issues in their regions.
Hyperloop One has also forged a private-public partnership with the Colorado Department of Transportation and engineering firm AECOM to begin a feasibility study.
What are the ten shortlisted Hyperloop One routes?
The winning routes connect 53 urban centers and almost 150 million people. Their combined distance spans 4,121 miles.
Route | Miles | Cities | Population | |
US Chicago-Columbus-Pittsburgh Team: Midwest Connect |
488 | 3 | 13,800,000 | |
US Dallas-Laredo-Houston
Team: Texas Triangle |
640 | 5 | 18,771,000 | |
US Cheyenne-Denver-Pueblo
Team: Rocky Mountain Hyperloop |
360 | 10 | 4,831,000 | |
US Miami-Orlando
Team: Miami/Orlando Hyperloop |
257 | 2 | 8,500,000 | |
India Bengaluru-Chennai
Team: AECOM India |
208 | 6 | 17,710,000 | |
India Mumbai-Chennai
Team: Hyperloop India |
685 | 10 | 43,190,000 | |
UK Edinburgh-London
Team: HypED |
414 | 4 | 19,151,514 | |
UK Glasgow-Liverpool
Team: Northern Arc |
339 | 6 | 9,715,488 | |
Mexico Mexico City-Guadalajara
Team: Mexloop |
330 | 4 | 33,530,000 | |
Canada Toronto-Montreal
Team: HyperCan |
400 | 3 | 13,326,000 |
“We’re encouraged by these compelling projects that aim to increase passenger mobility, connect urban centers, reimagine trade and cargo and enhance quality of life.”