Virgin Hyperloop Completes its First Ever Passenger Test

[upnorth]

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https://newatlas.com/urban-transport/virgin-hyperloop-first-passenger-test/

In a landmark moment for the experimental transportation technology, Virgin Hyperloop has welcomed aboard its first ever passengers, albeit only for a short spin along a test track. These first ever human trials of a hyperloop system follow hundreds of unmanned test runs at the company’s facility in Nevada, and bode well for its ability to safely transport people through near-vacuum tubes. Over the past few years, Virgin Hyperloop has been testing its passenger pods at its 500-meter-long (1,600-ft) track in the Nevada desert, where it has hit speeds of nearly 387 km/h (240 mph) with no one onboard. These magnetically levitating pods travel through near-vacuum tubes and are designed to eventually hit speeds of around 1,200 km/h (745 mph), which would make it possible to travel from LA to San Francisco in just 30 minutes.

Virgin Hyperloop co-founder and CTO Josh Giegel and Director of Passenger Experience Sara Luchian were the first humans to hop aboard, with the test run taking them to speeds of 172 km/h (107 mph), according to the BBC.

Virgin Hyperloop completes its first ever passenger test

In a landmark moment for the experimental transportation technology, Virgin Hyperloop has welcomed aboard its first ever passengers, albeit only for a short spin along a test track. These first ever human trials of a hyperloop system follow hundreds of unmanned test runs at the company’s facility…

newatlas.com

 

[jogs]

A Maglev Train in a vacuum tube.