A trans-Atlantic underwater tunnel able to support a hyperloop system is being tested by the Maritime Research Institute Netherlands (Marin), with researchers hoping for a consortium to develop the project and highlight that this mean of transport can act as a less polluting alternative to air travel.
In fact, the trial of the 140 meter (460 foot) model tunnel is taking place in one of the research basins of the organization, aiming to see how it responds to wave activity, in order to determine if the hyperloop pods can safely travel inside the tunnel under real oceanic conditions.
It is estimated that the actual tunnel would be almost 5,500 kilometers (3,400 miles) long at a depth of more than 100 meters (328 feet) with 30-meter (98-foot) pods able to carry 60 people.
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The pods in particular, would be moved along the vacuum-sealed tunnel, without air resistance or friction at 1,000 kilometers per hour (620 miles per hour).
Hyperloop technology is also being developed elsewhere throughout the universe.
The shipping industry is more than interested in hyperloop technology; A recent example is in 2018 when DP World partnered with US-based Virgin Hyperloop One in order to launch DP World Cargospeed, a new global company intended to provide hyperloop-enabled cargo systems to support the fast, sustainable and efficient delivery of palletized cargo.
Also, in July, Virgin Hyperloop One sealed a deal with Saudi Arabia’s Economic City Authority (ECA) in order to carry out a study to construct the world’s longest test and certification hyperloop track, a research and development center and a hyperloop manufacturing facility.
