All Aboard!

The drive from Chicago, Illinois, to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, takes more than seven hours. But a new high-speed train, called a hyperloop, might someday whisk passengers between the two cities in about 45 minutes.

This year, the California company Hyperloop One conducted its first test run of a hyperloop on a track in the Nevada desert. The company is developing its technology to make the first working hyperloop a reality. Shervin Pishevar, co-founder of Hyperloop One, believes the transportation system will “transform how our cities operate.”

The drive from Chicago, Illinois, to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, takes more than seven hours. But someday, a new high-speed train might link the two cities. It’s called a hyperloop. It could zip passengers between the two cities in about 45 minutes.

Hyperloop One is a company in California. This year, it made its first test run of a hyperloop. The test took place on a track in the Nevada desert. The company is working on the technology to make the first working hyperloop a reality. Shervin Pishevar is co-founder of Hyperloop One. He says the transportation system will “transform how our cities operate and how we live.”

Hyperloop One’s test track sits inside a sealed tube with the air pumped out. Air molecules push against objects as they move, creating drag. Operating inside a vacuum reduces this slowing force.

The hyperloop also relies on magnetic levitation, or maglev for short. It uses the repelling force of powerful magnets to float train cars slightly above a track. That eliminates speed-reducing friction, normally created as a train’s wheels rub against the rails. Engineers think a hyperloop in a vacuum tube could go 1,200 kilometers (750 miles) per hour—three times as fast as today’s speediest trains.

Hyperloop One’s test track sits inside a sealed tube. The air is pumped out. Air molecules push against objects as they move, and this creates drag. Moving inside a vacuum reduces this slowing force.

The hyperloop also uses magnetic levitation, maglev for short. Powerful magnets repel each other. This force is used to float train cars slightly above a track. That gets rid of friction, a force that lowers speed. Friction is normally formed as a train’s wheels rub against the rails. Engineers think a hyperloop in a vacuum tube could go up to 1,200 kilometers (750 miles) per hour. That’s twice as fast as today’s speediest trains.

Building a hyperloop route will be a huge and expensive undertaking. The system also has to be safe and convenient for passengers to ride.

Although there are many challenges ahead, Hyperloop One plans to have three hyperloop systems up and running by 2021. So far the company has identified 10 possible hyperloop routes around the world, including the one from Chicago to Pittsburgh. Read on to find out about these trains’ futuristic features.

A hyperloop route will have to be built. That will be a huge and expensive job. The system also has to be safe and easy for passengers to ride.

Many challenges lie ahead. Still, Hyperloop One plans to have three hyperloop systems up and running by 2021. So far, the company has named 10 possible hyperloop routes around the world. That includes the one from Chicago to Pittsburgh. Read on to learn more about these futuristic trains.