Virgin Hyperloop, the much-anticipated superfast passenger train that promised speeds of up to 1,080 kilometers per hour (670 miles per hour), has decided to focus only on freight rather than people. The move follows the layoff of 111 people, or nearly half of the company’s workforce, which the company blamed on the pandemic and worldwide supply chain challenges. According to the Financial Times, the decision was made to decrease expenses and respond to increased demand for freight transportation.
“It enables Virgin Hyperloop to respond in a more agile and nimble manner, as well as in a more cost-effective manner,” Virgin Hyperloop told the Financial Times. “Decisions like these are never taken lightly.” Elon Musk came up with the idea for the Hyperloop, which involves a sealed pod being driven through a vacuum chamber and levitated over magnetic tracks. By doing so, the pod is essentially free of air resistance and friction, allowing it to reach speeds and efficiency well beyond those of regular rail.
In November 2020, Virgin tested its pod design with personnel on board, and it was a huge success, indicating that their hyperloop could transport passengers between US cities in a fraction of the time. Virgin stated their freight Hyperloop should be ready in four years, according to the Financial Times. If profits allow, they can reinvest in passenger transportation.
Virgin Hyperloop just completed the first-ever crewed hyperloop test on its 500-meter (1,640-foot) test track, demonstrating that the technology is both safe and comfortable, according to the volunteers. The two firm employees were strapped into a pod, levitated above the magnetic tracks, and propelled through the tunnel test system at 172 kilometers per hour (107 miles per hour) in 6.25 seconds.
In a statement, Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, chairman of Virgin Hyperloop and group chairman and CEO of DP World, said, “I had the true joy of witnessing history made before my very eyes — to witness the first new method of mass transportation in over 100 years come to life.” Hyperloop is a proposed train-like rapid transportation system in which a pod travels at extremely high speeds through a vacuum-sealed tube, reducing travel time and increasing energy efficiency by eliminating air resistance. The pod, which is based on the world’s fastest magnetic levitation (maglev) trains, levitates above the tracks before being propelled along the track at speeds of up to 1,223 km/h (760 mph). The hyperloop pod would travel almost totally silently, even approaching the speed of sound, making it both quick and comfortable.
