
The only thing moving faster on the horizon than high-speed rail travel is the race to perfect it.
Pursued by titans of energy innovation like Elon Musk and championed by climate change reduction figureheads like Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the landmark method of moving people and property would revolutionize travel and could significantly lessen vehicle emissions produced by humankind.
Though prospects for The Boring Company's execution dimmed after California Governor Gavin Newsom expressed doubt in the project, but outside of Las Vegas, Virgin's test of the Hyperloop One is accelerating.
Tests of the full-scale model have achieved 240 miles per hour, with a goal for the final product to reach up to 600 miles per hour—over twice the speed of trains today.
The company just finalized an agreement with the Maharashtra government to build a route from Mumbai to Pune that would shorten the commute between the cities to 25 minutes from its current time of over three hours. They hope to have it up and running as soon as 2024.
The hope for greater sustainability with high speed rail is a huge selling point for locations seeking to lessen their carbon footprints. In The Boring Company's model, a pod's magnetization coupled with reduced pressures inside a vacuum tube greatly decrease the amount of energy needed to fuel the pods.
Virgin's early mockups are giving people hope for a transition to more sustainable transportation methods as well.
@HyperloopOne This concept is really cool😮😮— Kaushik Singh (@Kaushik Singh) 1549052058.0
@HyperloopOne Bring it! We are so passed due for a transportation infrastructure revolution!— Ryan Stubbs (@Ryan Stubbs) 1549079136.0
@HyperloopOne I can’t wait to see if this comes to Missouri! It will be revolutionary for sure— Kolton Harper (@Kolton Harper) 1549051003.0
However it's still not short of skeptics.
Some think it's an expensive pipe dream.
@HyperloopOne I will believe it when I see it.— Slow Down (@Slow Down) 1549057618.0
@HyperloopOne If it is half as great an idea as its backers say, perhaps you should rely on private financing rathe… https://t.co/blDQ0S4j9d— David Hasalastname (@David Hasalastname) 1549084755.0
@HyperloopOne Hype-Loop— Boulder Bike Force (@Boulder Bike Force) 1549082307.0
Some insist that the idea is no different from a train.
@HyperloopOne Just build a train, you tech-drunk loons— Cora Noble-Bray 🏳️🌈⚧️ (@Cora Noble-Bray 🏳️🌈⚧️) 1549126818.0
@HyperloopOne build a train you fucks— yr pal john (@yr pal john) 1549134246.0
@HyperloopOne What if you built a train line instead?— harrison super ltd. exp. (local) (@harrison super ltd. exp. (local)) 1549126197.0
However, the promise of reduced travel time and lower emissions remains a prospect worth exploring.