Yahoo Finance The future of travel? First photos of Hyperloop test track built in Nevada desert
The first images of a Hyperloop test track built in the middle of the Nevada desert have been released.
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It was designed by California company Hyperloop One, who has unveiled ambitious plans to transport people or cargo between cities at near-supersonic speed.
The 500 metre-long Hyperloop test structure, which has a diameter of 3.3 metres, is located around 30 minutes from Las Vegas.
Hyperloop One announced in November an agreement with Dubai to evaluate the construction a 500mph train they hope will be capable of travelling to the neighbouring UAE city of Abu Dhabi in just 12 minutes.
“While technology is revolutionising many facets of our lives, we have not seen a radical change in transportation since the Wright brothers introduced air travel over 100 years ago,” explained Rob Lloyd, CEO of Hyperloop One.
“Tying together the Middle East region would produce greater virtual density, without congestion and pollution, spurring innovation, productivity, job growth and more powerful sharing of knowledge, labour and investment.
“Building a Hyperloop would vastly impact the economy and make any major city in the Gulf Cooperation Council accessible within one hour.”
Hyperloop One hope to perform a public trial later this year, with the aim of creating “a faster, more efficient and cleaner system of mobility” featuring Hyperloop pods travelling at 800 miles per hour.
Josh Giegel, co-founder of Hyperloop One, added: “Our team of more than 150 engineers, technicians and fabricators have been transforming what was, just over five months ago, a barren stretch of desert, into a hive of activity and now home to the world's first full-scale Hyperloop test site.”
The company said the latest photos showed they are “well-positioned to deliver the first working Hyperloop”, the brainchild of US billionaire Elon Musk.
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