A record in Switzerland… on a small scale
In Lausanne, researchers from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) continue to advance Hyperloop technology with the Project Limitless. Their reduced vehicle, on a scale of 1:12, traveled a record distance in a 125.6 meter tube. On this scale, this represents a distance of 141.6 kilometers in real size. Although the project is only a miniature simulation, it marks a step towards the development of rapid and decarbonized.
In theory, the Hyperloop would allow capsules to travel at 1,200 km/h in magnetic levitation, without air resistance, in vacuum tubes. Swiss tests achieved a speed of 40.7 km/h, which is equivalent to 488.2 km/h in full size.
Projects in France at a standstill
In France, the Hyperloop had a difficult start. The test track project at Drouxin Haute-Vienne, has still not started. Announced in 2018, the project should have seen its three kilometer track reduced to just one due to budget constraints and lack of funding. The site has so far only been subject to minor clearing, and residents are growing impatient.
Limoges: heavyweights in the Hyperloop tube
The Canadian company leading the project for the train of the future which must travel at 1,000 km/h is creating a French subsidiary in Limoges. It joins forces with ArcelorMittal, EDF and SADE, General Hydraulic Works Company.
Other initiatives have also failed in France, notably in Toulouse, where the American company Hyperloop TT was forced to leave a former military base. This company, although considered one of the most advanced, has swallowed up millions of dollars without delivering on its promises.
A project for the future or a utopia?
Despite these repeated fiascosthe Hyperloop continues to attract certain investors in Europe. The Netherlands, for example, recently inaugurated a research center equipped with a 420 meter tube, intended for studies on this mode of transport. In Italy, Hyperloop TT is trying to bounce back by working on a prototype linking Venice-Mestre to Padua.
Hyperloop: Limitless financing?
Despite the doubts, Hyperloop continues to attract funding and to arouse the interest of public authorities, including in the strategy of the European Union. The European Commissioner in charge of Transport, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, was given the task of developing this futuristic mode of transport as part of the Draghi report. Some experts, however, fear that this is an expensive utopia, with no concrete outlet.
