As reported by TechCrunch , Richard Branson revealed that hyperloop transportation may become a reality in as little as two or three years. A hyperloop is an innovative form of ground transportation that includes a series of tubes or tunnels where a pod can float by magnetic elevation at very high speeds. The pods will also be able to accomplish high speeds because most of the air will be removed from the tunnels to reduce friction.
Several companies are currently working on the formation of this futuristic transportation, which was first imagined by Elon Musk, but Virgin Group CEO Richard Branson is determined to have the technology up and running as soon as possible. The ground-breaking hyperloop promises to transport cargo and passengers at airline speeds but at a fraction of the cost of a plane ticket. In addition, it would also reduce pollution and gridlocked highways.
But before people will be able to take advantage of the new transportation, it looks like Branson’s hyperloop will be focused on cargo. The U.S.-based company Virgin Hyperloop One, chaired by Branson, teamed the with the Dubai-based company DP World in a joint venture, DP World Cargospeed. In an exclusive interview with CNBC , DP World Group CEO Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem and Richard Branson spoke about the Virgin Hyperloop and its advantages.
Sultan bin Sulayem: #Dubai has always pushed the boundaries of innovation. We have made a significant investment in Virgin @HyperloopOne because we see the need for a hyperloop-enabled cargo network to support rapid, on-demand deliveries globally. pic.twitter.com/EaRqGGp4oA
— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) April 29, 2018
Ahmed bin Sulayem spoke about how the hyperloop will be noninvasive. When a train is built it is accompanied by bridges, loud noises, and other unpleasantries that can affect a city. But the environmentally friendly Virgin Hyperloop will run virtually in silence.
He then talked about the security of the hyperloop and said that it was better than a train. They will scan and check the packages and, after the doors close, nothing else can be put in it. He said that there wouldn’t be any smuggling, unlike trains that stop in numerous cities. The Sultan also said that the hyperloop, both the passenger speed and the cargo speed, is selling time. People don’t want to sit and wait.
Introducing DP World Cargospeed pic.twitter.com/KvnzdKZ0NE
— Virgin Hyperloop One (@HyperloopOne) April 29, 2018
Richard Branson spoke of visualizing this transportation in a number of places to connect countries, like India to Pakistan, and that it would bring the world much closer. He said that the pods would go 600 to 800 miles per hour, both with people and with cargo.
Richard Branson: Hyperloop will break ground in two or three years from CNBC .
Branson also remarked the people will be able to avoid traffic jams and just jump in a pod. He said from a freight point of view, it was tremendously exciting. As far as a timeline, he said that they would be breaking ground in India within months. He said that this could happen quite quickly. That they’re not talking many years away, but that the Virgin Hyperloop is just two or three years away.