The Hyperloop: Future of Land Transport

Planes, trains, and cars have carried us through the 20th century. For decades, we have been dependent on these modes of transportation to take us long distances. However, they’re old news nowadays. The transportation of the future is likely to replace these methods with faster, more environmentally friendly and cost-effective ones.

The Hyperloop is one of the most widely talked about new modes of transportation. The idea was first proposed by Elon Musk. Musk is an entrepreneur and he is well known for having founded SpaceX and Tesla Motors. He came up with the concept of the Hyperloop upon realising how overcrowded the freeways are becoming and how long air travel can take when people have to get through security, board, take off and land. He thought that there had to be a better way of travelling.

The Hyperloop is basically a capsule which hovers in a low-pressure tube above ground for hundreds of miles. For distances of around 900 miles, a Hyperloop tube would be a more efficient means of transporting people and goods. Musk’s goal is to travel from Los Angeles to San Francisco in about 35 minutes instead of a 6-7-hour drive, or to travel from London to Manchester only in 18 minutes. This would make the Hyperloop much faster than any other transportation methods. Many scientists are excited about the theory behind the Hyperloop. It also has financial support from several governments, but the potential cost and feasibility of the technology are still to be tested.

Moreover, because the vehicle floats slightly above the track, it would be able to travel faster than an airplane. This high-speed system would allow people to travel 760 mph, which means as fast as the speed of sound. “We eliminate direct emissions, noise, delay, weather concerns and pilot error. It’s the next mode of transportation,” says the company. Also, “hyperpods”, which are similar to a capsule, would be able to seat people from six to a hundred. Businessmen could use meeting pods as a moving conference room, and there would even be a critical-care pod to carry patients to the hospital, according to the company.

The idea of travelling through a vacuum tube has been around for over 100 years. Some of the very first underground railways in the UK used an air pressure system. However, few could imagine the height of technological advancement of today’s transportation systems back in the day. If everything stays on track, Hyperloop is likely to make a long-term dream come true.