Rendering courtesy of Virgin Group
A rendering of what the proposed Virgin Hyperloop One system would look like.
Updated on August 14 at 2:52 p.m.: Andrew Smith, the Hyperloop liaison for Heartland Hyperloop, tweeted that the pod would be visiting St. Louis, but the date is yet to be determined.
Missourians have been talking about the proposed high-speed hyperloop since last October, when its creator, Virgin Hyperloop One, released a study showing that building the transportation model from Kansas City, Missouri, to St. Louis—with a stop in Columbia—along Interstate 70 was feasible. Now, they'll have a chance to see a passenger pod.
Virgin Hyperloop One, the company at the forefront of building the futuristic mass transportation system, is going on the road to showcase its XP-1 hyperloop pod. The pod will make major appearances in Ohio, Texas, and Kansas City, Kansas, as well as other stops along the hyperloop's proposed cross-country route.
The Kansas City stop will be on September 14 at the Kansas Speedway as part of the 40th annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue. The pod will be on display starting at 11 a.m. alongside live music, food trucks, a classic car show, and the Cowtown Family Fun Fest. Tickets can be purchased online. The pod will stop in Columbus, Ohio, on August 4 and in Arlington, Texas, from August 8 to 10, where it will be on display at the AT&T Stadium.
Virgin Hyperloop One would zoom alongside I-70 and take St. Louisans to Columbia in 15 minutes and Kansas City in 30 minutes. It's now looking like Missouri will not be home to the first hyperloop; the Indian state of Maharashtra, which includes Mumbai, is already moving toward building a test track, as Ryan Kelly, head of global marketing communications at Virgin Hyperloop One, told SLM in December, they were hoping to break ground this year. However, Missouri is making strides toward the project. A bipartisan Blue Ribbon Panel on Hyperloop, led by Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe and comprising public and private members, has been meeting since April and is set to present its findings this September.
Photography courtesy of Virgin Hyperloop One.
The completed prototype of XP-1, the passenger pod which would transport travelers through the hyperloop at speeds of around 700 miles per hour.
The hyperloop works by shooting the pod through a vacuum-like tube. Electromagnetic forces levitate the pod. According to the press release, Virgin has "projects underway" around the U.S. and in India, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
