‘Hyperloop’ network could take travellers from Amsterdam to Paris in 90 minutes

‘Hyperloop’ network could take travellers from Amsterdam to Paris in 90 minutes
By Christian Fleetwood


A super-fast ‘Hyperloop’ network is under consideration after a study revealed it could be economically viable.

The Hyperloop is a proposed mode of transport heralded by advocates as the future of cross-country European travel, which involves travelling in a pod-like capsule propelled through a low-pressure tube at speeds of up to 1,000 kilometres per hour.

According to Dutch start-up Hardt Hyperloop, with a journey beginning in Amsterdam, travellers could arrive in Düsseldorf in 30 minutes and Paris in under two hours, more sustainably than by air.

Earlier this month, the company announced that the results of a study, carried out in collaboration with the Dutch province of North Holland, showed the travel technology, utilising magnetic levitation, could carry big financial benefits.

The report added that a Europe-wide Hyperloop network would significantly reduce commute times between cities, literally blurring borders and connecting economic areas like the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area and the German Ruhr area.

Hardt Hyperloop project manager Stefan Marges said perspectives on home and work distances would be radically altered.

“The Hyperloop is especially perfect for international connections,” Marges said in a statement.

“And a connection from Amsterdam to Eindhoven would be a logical component of an international connection between Amsterdam, the Ruhr area and Berlin.”

The Hyperloop could be an alternative to high emission short-haul air travel (Hardt)

As many as 200,000 passengers could be ferried via the Hyperloop per hour, per direction, according to the report.

Travellers could reach Paris in 90 minutes, which is less than half the time it currently takes by train, and around the same time as a direct flight – minus the need for airport connections and aircraft emissions.

According to Hardt, due to the Hyperloop being operated with an electric powertrain powered by renewable energy sources, it produces no emissions. Likewise, it is projected to consume relatively low power per person.

The investigation marks the next stage in Hardt Hyperloop’s grand plan, following the opening of a test facility in June 2019.

However, a few questions remain before the technology – thought to have first been conceived by Elon Musk’s Telsa and Space X – can be realised.

Concerns remain as to whether the pods will be suitable for all ages, as well as how easy it would be to evacuate a pod in the case of an emergency.

Moreover, according to CNN Travel, big money needs to be invested to get it off the ground and governments need to be onside.

Jereon Olthof, North Holland’s mobility deputy, said he was still intrigued by the recent study.

“We know that people are willing to travel for a maximum of one hour to their work,” he said.

“With a high-speed Hyperloop, you would be able to cover much greater distances in that time. This sounds very promising.

That is why we will engage in discussions with other authorities to progress this research.”

Click here to check out the study for yourself.

Featured image credit: Hardt Hyperloop (Hardt)

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