Hyperloop Test Launch Marks Significant Progress in Transit Technology

Hyperloop's Promising Future

Hyperloop, a new form of mass transit involving capsules whizzing on magnetic fields through depressurized tubes, has achieved significant liftoff in the northern Netherlands, a company developing the technology said Monday.

A test vehicle was levitated and zipped through a tube at a testing facility for the high-speed transit system once promoted by Elon Musk.

Successful Initial Test

“So today, with the first successful test, we were able to levitate the vehicle, also turn on the guidance system and the propulsion system,” Marinus van der Meijs, the technology and engineering director at hyperloop company Hardt, told The Associated Press late last week before Monday’s formal announcement.

• The European Hyperloop Center’s 420-meter (460-yard) tube consists of 34 sections, mostly 2½ meters (over 8 feet) in diameter.
• A vacuum pump reduces drag allowing capsules to travel at high speeds.
• Capsules aim for speeds up to 700 kph (435 mph).

Challenges Ahead

Hyperloop developers highlight that significant investment in infrastructure is necessary. So far, the speed at the test center has been modest.

Once the capsule was in place in the tube, “we launched it with an acceleration similar to that of a metro, up to a top speed of about 30 kph (18 mph), about 100 meters (more than 300 feet) in the pipe,” Van der Meijs added.

Even this is a milestone that required careful coordination. “Testing all these functions together is challenging.

Future Prospects

Musk originally proposed this idea over a decade ago, suggesting it could ferry passengers the nearly 400 miles (645 kilometers) between Los Angeles and San Francisco in just half an hour. Various teams worldwide are working hard to make this vision a reality.

Van de Pas stated: “To deliver Hyperloop as a mobility system, we have a very complicated puzzle which requires technology, public-private collaboration, and sound policy. At Hardt, we are ready for passenger operations by 2030.”

However, some analysts remain skeptical. Ranking the necessary construction costs, Robert Noland remarked that it is just another instance of policymakers chasing a shiny object.

Previous Hyperloop Endeavors

In 2016, Dubai signed a deal with Hyperloop One to explore a potential line to Abu Dhabi. This announcement, made atop the Burj Khalifa, showcased Dubai's ambition.

Yet, like various ambitious projects in the city, the Hyperloop initiative has struggled, with no physical tracks constructed, and Hyperloop One shutting down in December.

—Aleksandar Furtula, Associated Press