Photo: Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT)
“Small pods that glide inside magnetic tubes at nearly the speed of sound? Well, yes, I do want to hear more about this absolutely plausible prospect,” he said with a fake friendly smile on his face while dialing 911 behind his back.
That’s what would have happened just one decade ago if you told anybody you were thinking about building something like the Hyperloop network and kept a straight face. The idea would have seemed so preposterous, and not mainly for technological reasons, but because the resources it involves are quite staggering.
The Hyperloop needs a whole new nation-wide network to be built, and we all know who built the railroads in the US - that’s not going to happen again or, at least, not very cheap. As for government subsidies, you can never count on those unless there’s something, somewhere to be gained by someone.
But the prospect of truly high-speed transportation on the ground that would be faster than air travel while being virtually non-pollutant (depending on where it gets its electricity from, of course) is just too damned promising to ignore.
This weekend, the Texas A&M University hosted a pitch for the design of Hyperloop’s pods that will carry their passengers at speeds of up to 760 mph (1,223 km/h). Over a thousand high school and college students from around the world brought in their ideas, hoping to impress the judges.
The Verge reports that among those present there was also a certain Anthony Fox, the US Secretary of Transportation. His simple presence at the event speaks volumes, but questioned on the matter, he even called the Hyperloop “a very solid idea” while addressing the students, and continued to suggest that the government has a “responsibility” to help with the development of this project.
Mr. Foxx isn’t a stranger to high-speed land transportation, having flown to Japan last year to test out their maglev train. The Hyperloop would mean skipping a few stages and going right for the fastest alternative possible, which is why the US Secretary of Transportation describes it as a “moonshot.” That’s to say it will take considerable time and effort, but there’s no reason to believe the project won’t eventually be successful. And when that happens, everything leading up to it would have been worth the effort.
The Hyperloop needs a whole new nation-wide network to be built, and we all know who built the railroads in the US - that’s not going to happen again or, at least, not very cheap. As for government subsidies, you can never count on those unless there’s something, somewhere to be gained by someone.
But the prospect of truly high-speed transportation on the ground that would be faster than air travel while being virtually non-pollutant (depending on where it gets its electricity from, of course) is just too damned promising to ignore.
This weekend, the Texas A&M University hosted a pitch for the design of Hyperloop’s pods that will carry their passengers at speeds of up to 760 mph (1,223 km/h). Over a thousand high school and college students from around the world brought in their ideas, hoping to impress the judges.
The Verge reports that among those present there was also a certain Anthony Fox, the US Secretary of Transportation. His simple presence at the event speaks volumes, but questioned on the matter, he even called the Hyperloop “a very solid idea” while addressing the students, and continued to suggest that the government has a “responsibility” to help with the development of this project.
Mr. Foxx isn’t a stranger to high-speed land transportation, having flown to Japan last year to test out their maglev train. The Hyperloop would mean skipping a few stages and going right for the fastest alternative possible, which is why the US Secretary of Transportation describes it as a “moonshot.” That’s to say it will take considerable time and effort, but there’s no reason to believe the project won’t eventually be successful. And when that happens, everything leading up to it would have been worth the effort.
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