Hyperloop One wants to make a trip from Chicago to Pittsburgh so short you won't be able to finish an entire movie.
Last week Hyperloop One unveiled 11 US teams as part of its Global Challenge, an initiative to develop routes across the world for its high-speed "tube" transportation system.
The Hyperloop Midwest team was selected as one of the routes to move on in the challenge. Its plan calls for a 488 mile Chicago to Pittsburgh route with a stop in Columbus, Ohio. At speeds of roughly 750 miles per hour, the Hyperloop system can connect passengers from Chicago to Columbus in 29 minutes, and Columbus to Pittsburgh in just 18 minutes, meaning Bears fans could catch a game at Heinz Field in less than 50 minutes.
What is now a 9-hour train ride, 7-hour car ride or an hour and fifteen minute flight may soon be just a 47 minute trip.
"Hyperloop One is the only company in the world building an operational commercial Hyperloop system,” Rob Lloyd, chief executive officer of Hyperloop One, said in a statement. “This disruptive technology – conceived, developed and built in the U.S. – will move passengers and cargo faster, cleaner and more efficiently. It will transform transportation as we know it and create a more connected world.”
Hyperloop One is a Los Angeles-based startup that was founded in response to the Hyperloop transportation concept Elon Musk introduced in 2013 (Musk is not affiliated with Hyperloop One). The startup has raised more than $140 million to bring the high-speed tube system to life. Last week Hyperloop One finalized the tube installation on its 1640-foot-long test tube in the desert outside of Las Vegas where it will continue to develop and test its technology.
The 11 teams selected last week join 24 other programs from around the world, each vying to be among 12 finalists, Hyperloop One said. Eventually three winners will be selected to explore project development and financing with Hyperloop One. The startup says it hopes to have its transportation system ready in five years.
Images courtesy of Hyperloop One
