8-minute train ride from Vienna to Bratislava

Hyperloop promises ultra high speed train connection between European cities

In 2013, Tesla and Paypal founder Elon Musk published idea to revolutionize train transport by vacuum tubes, where small capsules can travel at speeds of more than 1125 km/h. Plans have turned to be real sooner than first visions expected - the company Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT) is planning to do first high-speed trains by this technology within few years. Company signed a deal with Slovakian government recently to research the possibility of building a Hyperloop between Bratislava and Vienna.

Presentation of how Hyperloop works. By Hyperloop Technologies.

The HTT group is currently starting to build a 8 km test loop in California, experimental test site is planned to be ready for first test rides in 2018. HTT's chief operating officer Bibop Gabriele Gresta said that first stage in Europe may be built by 2020 and will cost between $200 million and $300 million.

It´s a bit strange to travel in a pod without windows, but modern technology can show surrounding by LED screens or even more - projecting imaginary environments as You are travelling trhru historic sites or fantasy land.

Hyperloop is working as semi-vacuum tube with small traveller pods moving inside the tube with minimum resistance on magnetic levitation magnets. There is no actually working technology yet, but first tests are planned within this decade. Speed of Hyperloop transportation will be faster tha usual passenger planes but have some technology problems: keeping semi-vacuum environment inside tubes is very energy-consuming and building of superspeed tubes may be extremely expensive.

There are two very similar named companies who are developing new transportation technology called Hyperloop - Hyperloop Transportation Technologies and Hyperloop Technologies.