Moscow to test new hyperloop mobility project

A new mobility system that uses magnets to levitate pods inside an airless tube could be transporting people and cargo across Moscow at speeds of up to 1,200 km/h by the end of the year.

Speaking at the Moscow Urban Forum (31 June to 1 July) Maxim Liksutov, Deputy Mayor, said that the pilot would be launched in December, although he was cautious.

“In the next few years we’ll see a major breakthrough in the development of technologies which will facilitate our lives…we will see how the theory works in practice,” he said.

On 21 June, the LA-based company behind the project, Hyperloop One, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the city government and the Russian firm, Summa Group, to explore building the high-capacity passenger system that would connect to Moscow’s transport grid.

“Hyperloop can improve life dramatically for the 16 million people in the greater Moscow area, cutting their commute to a fraction of what it is today,” said Shervin Pishevar, Co-founder and Executive Chairman of Hyperloop One.

“Our longer term vision is to work with Russia to implement a transformative new Silk Road: a cargo Hyperloop that whisks freight containers from China to Europe in a day.”

Hyperloop One now has feasibility studies underway in Finland and Sweden, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Dubai, the Port of Los Angeles and the United Kingdom. A three-kilometre test track is being built near Las Vegas that will provide full testing facilities.

Nikolay Asaul, Deputy Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation, also confirmed his support for the project especially if it is able to service both passengers and freight. He highlighted the example of Uber and how Russia’s leaders are ready for technological changes in mobility.

“In Russia we decided not to put up a fight [with Uber], as it is pointless to resist technology,” he said. “Flexibility is important for everyone.”