With hyperloop research and development advancing like never before – the first operational
system is on the cusp of becoming a reality.
Despite routes being proposed in the United States, United Arab Emirates, India, Scandinavia
and Mexico – at the time of filming, no scheme has received the full the commitment
of a national government or private corporation.
With hyperloop technology maturing at a rapid rate and the concept set to have
a revolutionary impact, we’ve theorised 10 routes could change our world.
Before we begin, it’s important to explain the criteria that we have used to determine
these concepts.
While routes from New York to London or from Cairo to Cape Town are impressive to theorise,
the technology, logistics and economics required to make them happen often renders them unviable.
To determine the most credible proposals, we developed 5 criteria:
Capacity – considering the number of people that each route has the potential to connect.
Influence – the importance or influence of each city to its respective region.
Connectivity – the existing connections and the demand for routes between cities.
Geological – the consideration of natural barriers like oceans, forests or mountain
ranges that can make routes impractical.
and Geopolitical – considering the movement
of people across borders, the ability to finance such a hyperloop system and the degree of
cooperation between countries.
First up we have a route that could revolutionise the east coast of Australia.
With 80% of the country’s population residing in the eastern states, linking the major economic
centres of the nation's largest cities to more affordable regional areas would bring
access to new employment and housing opportunities, creating a mega region along the Pacific coast.
The route would link Melbourne to Brisbane, a distance of 1,500 kilometres in less than two hours.
Along the way, the “East Australian Hyperloop” would connect to the nation's capital Canberra,
Australia's largest city, Sydney, and the regional cities of Newcastle and the Gold Coast.
The route would have a catchment of over 14 million people – which is around 60%
of Australia’s entire population.
Other towns and cities along the route could link
to the system as demand rose.
With Australia currently laying claim to the second and eighth busiest flight routes in
the world, with 54,000 flights between Melbourne and Sydney each year and Sydney to Brisbane
seeing 33,000 flights each year, the demand to link these cities and eliminate the time
wasted in airports makes a significant case for investing in hyperloop.
Renowned for embracing the latest technology and with a densely populated mainland, Japan
is a prime candidate for hyperloop.
Despite being an archipelago with mountainous terrain, six of the countries seven largest
cities lie in relatively close proximity to one another on the main island of Honshu.
A hyperloop from Tokyo to the city of Kobe via Yokohama, Nagoya, Kyoto and Osaka would
unite a region of more than 65 million peopleand that has a combined GDP of more than USD $2.8TN.
While Japan has long been a champion of high speed rail, hyperloop is expected to travel
at twice the rate of the country’s bullet trains.
This would make the entire trip, end-to-end, less than 35 minutes – compared to the current
two and a half hours by bullet train – and open the possibility of working in Tokyo or
Kyoto while living in Nagoya where the cost of living is much more reasonable.
With China’s urban population booming, linking cities more effectively would allow its economy
to continue to grow while taking pressure off housing in some of the country’s most
densely occupied megacities.
Hong Kong and Shanghai are both at the centre of two of China's most important megaregions;
the Pearl and Yangtze River Deltas.
While China has invested heavily in transport links between these cities, the efficiency
of the hyperloop system is almost impossible to compete with.
Covering 1,700 kilometres in a cross-country arch, the entire route would get you from
Hong Kong to Shanghai in less than two and half hours.
This route has the potential to make inland cities like Wuhan and Changsha much more influential,
sitting at the heart of a route just over an hour from the economic hubs that make up
40% of the Chinese economy.
Set to become the world’s most populated country by 2025, India is extremely well placed
to benefit from an end-to-end hyperloop route.
With the number of flights between Delhi and Mumbai reaching 47,000 in 2017 – it's no
wonder this region is the first in a series of major industrial corridors that are planned
for the country.
The USD $100BN Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor – or DMIC – is one of the world’s largest
infrastructure projects.
Its objective is to link India's major cities, allowing them to draw on one another's manufacturing,
logistical and human resources and helping the nation become a world leader in manufacturing.
With Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata each expected to have populations in excess of 50 million
by 2100, an end to end hyperloop system would have a catchment area of over 200 million people.
At 4,000 kilometres in length, this route would put all three centres less than two
hours apart in either direction, greatly boosting the region.
When it comes to international routes for hyperloop, one of the most important elements
to consider is financial cooperation to fund the project and the ease at which people can
move between countries.
The fundamentals of the European Union (EU) address these criteria very directly.
While Brussels is widely accepted as the “capital” of the EU, administrative functions and branches
also sit in Strasbourg and Luxembourg.
Combine this with the European Central Bank located in Frankfurt and Europol in The Hague
and the process of moving politicians and government officials between these five centres
can present a logistical headache for bureaucrats.
Linking these administrative regions with economic centres along the route like Antwerp,
Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Düsseldorf, Cologne and Paris, could create an efficient loop
that connects over 25 million people and puts each city less than an hour from the others.
The UK’s thriving capital has living costs far above the national average, housing prices
that are unattainable for most and an infrastructure system that is continually playing catch up.
While other cities offer a more affordable option, the draw of big business to London
means that many people have little choice but to work there.
By connecting the high paying jobs of the capital to the more affordable economic and
manufacturing centres in the midlands and northern regions, the UK could address issues
like housing, the pay squeeze and infrastructure spending.
While high speed rail projects to connect the south east and the Midlands are already
under development, a hyperloop between Edinburgh and London would bring the cities within 45
minutes of each other and connect four of the country’s largest urban areas.
While not as well-known as the European Union, the countries of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay
and Uruguay are all members of a trade bloc known as Mercosur,
or the Southern Common Market.
This “proto-union” currently exists as a customs union with aims to promote, free
trade, freedom of movement and eventually a single currency.
Like the EU, the inter-cooperation between these countries makes this region of South
America a prime candidate for hyperloop.
Linking the largest cities in all four countries, this hyperloop would create South America’s
largest political and economic entity consisting of over 50 million people.
While the entire 2,700 kilometre route would take three hours to travel – significantly
faster than the five hours required to check in and fly – the main beneficiaries would
be Sao Paulo and Rio who currently lay claim to the 5th busiest flight routes in the world.
Known as the BosWash agglomeration, the North East of the United States is the most densely
populated region of North America.
Consisting primarily of Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington DC,
these cities form a near unbroken urban link running for over 630 kilometres.
With more than 40 million people in the catchment area, this hyperloop could connect the nation's
capital with its largest city and beyond in under 50 minutes.
Texas is Americas second largest state in both size and population, but unlike
the dense Northeast – its economic centres are spread further apart, placing limits on
where people can live and work.
Houston, San Antonio and Dallas are the state’s largest cities and three of the largest in
the United States forming a region that has become known as the Texas Triangle.
Linking these cities and broadening their economic reach would further diversify their
economies while providing more employment and housing opportunities for Texans across
the state.
The state capital of Austin as well as Fort Worth, would also be added to the loop creating
an economic region of over 18 million people with access to jobs in the state government,
space agencies, oil, telecommunications and aviation sectors – all in under 30 minutes
from any direction.
Much like Texas, California is a large and populous state with far spread economic centres.
Distinct economies have formed in cities across the state – such as entertainment in Los Angeles,
technology in the San Francisco Bay area and manufacturing in San Diego.
While this concentration of specific industries is good for jobs, the cost of living in these
cities has risen to levels that most people simply cannot afford.
With San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, San Diego and Los Angeles making up five of the
10 most expensive cities in the United States, connecting these centres to more affordable
regions would open up a range of housing options, addressing the critical challenges of affordability
and lagging infrastructure.
The Californian hyperloop could begin in San Diego and head north through Los Angeles before
connecting the regional cities of Bakersfield and Fresno to San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland
and finally the states capitol Sacramento
Including the more affordable Fresno and Bakersfield at the midpoint on this 900 kilometre journey,
puts them less than 30 minutes from any portal along the route, and would make commuting
to any of California's economic hubs significantly easier.
Did your city make our list of our suggested routes? Which regions would you like to see
connected by hyperloop in the future? Let us know in the comments below.
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