The Hyperloop supersonic train will hurtle along the Silk Road. The company founded by the Italian Bibop Gresta and the German Dirk Ahlborn and 100% controlled by Jumpstarter, crowdsourcing platform and Digital Magics startup, continues to expand at the speed of sound, just as its trains travel.
After the agreements in the United States, Europe, Abu Dhabi and Ukraine, Hyperloop has signed an agreement with Tongren Transportation & Tourism Investment Group of the Government of the People's Republic of China which will bring the supersonic train along the Silk Road.
“We envision that Hyperloop will play a critical role in the economic fabric of the 'Silk Road', connecting the region to the rest of the world,” said Dirk Ahlborn, CEO of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies. “China spends more than $300 billion a year on infrastructure to keep pace with rapid urban expansion. Having worked alongside our government partners, HyperloopTT is an ideal and practical solution to this impending problem. Additionally, Tongren's unique topography will allow us to refine our various construction methods with our partners."
HyperloopTT will provide the necessary technology, engineering expertise and equipment, while the Tongren government will be responsible for the certification, regulatory framework and construction of the Hyperloop system. Together they will have to decide the route for the trains to follow and the funding for the project comes from a public-private joint venture with 50% of the funds coming directly from Tongren.
“Tongren has always been focused on sustainable development. The signature to build HyperloopTT in China is a key step to foster the growth of the hinterland, an important achievement of the Tongren Great Investment Action Year and a decisive project to expand and strengthen the local economy,” said Chen Shaoron, Mayor of Tongren. “Once completed, it will greatly accelerate the research and development of China's HyperloopTT, which will be able to rapidly grow the high-tech and manufacturing industry in Guizhou Province, effectively improving the mobility of Tongren City and its inhabitants, and consequently, support tourism, laying a solid foundation for the development of 'one district and five places' of Tongren”.
The Hyperloop train is a capsule that hovers suspended inside a low-pressure tube. The basic concept can be explained as follows: as with a high altitude aircraft, the capsule encounters less resistance and the remaining air in front of the capsule is conveyed towards the rear of the tube using a compressor, which allows it to reach speeds incredible up to over 1.200 km/h and with very little electricity consumption, meeting the highest standards of sustainability and minimal impact on the ground.
The entire pipe system is in fact built on pylons, in order to reduce land acquisition costs and ensure insulation from climatic and environmental conditions. The design of the pylons is such as to make the structure earthquake-proof, as well as self-sufficient in energy terms. Thanks to the solar panels placed along the entire upper part of the tubes and thanks to a sophisticated energy recovery system, Hyperloop is able to produce more electricity than it consumes.
“China leads the world in the amount of high-speed lines built and is now looking for a more efficient solution with HyperloopTT,” says Bibop Gresta, Chairman of HyperloopTT. “We have spent the last few years looking for the right partners to work with in China and now with a strong network of relationships, we are ready to create the HyperloopTT system, complying with Chinese regulations”.
