Name: Missouri’s hyperloop dreams derailed as Virgin picks West Virginia for test site
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Missouri’s hyperloop dreams derailed as Virgin picks West Virginia for test site

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Get local news delivered to your inbox!Last chance! Subscribe with this special offer to keep readingLoading&amp;hellp;{{title}}{{description}}{{banner}}(renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax){{tagline}}{{special_title}}{{html}}You have permission to edit this article.© 2022 Lee EnterprisesShare ThisMissouri’s hyperloop dreams derailed as Virgin picks West Virginia for test siteShare thisWASHINGTON — has picked West Virginia to host a $500 million certification center and test track for billionaire Richard Branson’s super high-speed travel system.Missouri had hoped to land the project after studies showed it would be feasible to build a track that would transport passengers between St. Louis and Kansas City in 30 minutes.The West Virginia center will be the first U.S. regulatory proving ground for a hyperloop system designed to whisk floating pods packed with passengers and cargo through vacuum tubes at 600 miles an hour or faster.Branson announced the decision in a news conference on Thursday, joined online by U.S. Transportation Department Secretary Elaine Chao and state officials.“Today we lay the foundation for commercial deployment and operations across the United States of America and beyond,” the company’s chief executive, Jay Walder, told reporters.In a hyperloop system, which uses magnetic levitation to allow near-silent travel, a trip between New York and Washington would take just 30 minutes. That would be twice as fast as a commercial jet flight and four times faster than a high-speed train.Construction is slated to begin in 2022 on the site of a former coal mine in Tucker and Grant counties, West Virginia, with safety certification by 2025 and commercial operations by 2030, the company said.Federal regulators will use the center, and accompanying six-mile test track, to establish regulatory and safety standards, while Virgin will test its product and infrastructure.In July, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson signed legislation establishing a framework for how a tube transport system would work in the state. It barred the use of funds that are currently used to build and maintain roads and prohibited the system from being built on Interstate 70 right-of-way.The legislation came after a seven-month study last year headed by Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe. Among the high-profile members was University of Missouri President Mun Choi.The study recommended the construction of a 15-mile test track to gauge the feasibility of someday connecting St. Louis and Kansas City.In 2018, said the pneumatic tube transportation line that would transport passengers along the 250-mile expanse between the two anchor cities in less than 30 minutes .The report puts the price tag on the test track at between $300 million and $500 million. The cost to build a track linking In a statement, Kehoe said he appreciated “the potential transformative power of this technology.… I look forward to Missouri being able to quickly adapt and implement lessons learned in West Virginia.”Missouri House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, an early champion of the project said he was disappointed the state did not win, but was grateful the state was among finalists.“I look forward to watching this technology change the future of transportation,” Haahr said.The decision to take the project to West Virginia comes less than three months after the Transportation Department published guidance on a regulatory framework for U.S. hyperloop systems.Virgin Hyperloop, which has raised more than $400 million, largely from United Arab Emirates shipping company DP World and Branson, is among a number of firms racing to launch new high-speed travel systems.Canada’s Transpod and Spain’s Zeleros also aim to upend traditional passenger and freight networks with similar technology they say will slash travel times, congestion and environmental harm linked with petroleum-fueled machines.Elon Musk’s Boring Company envisions commuters zipping along underground tracks in electric cars.Virgin Hyperloop picked West Virginia after reviewing applications from 17 U.S. states to host the center.Other states in the running included Delaware, Georgia, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Washington state, according to a Virgin Hyperloop news release.Despite Thursday’s announcement, Virgin Hyperloop’s most likely first route could be in India, linking Mumbai to Pune, though the COVID-19 pandemic has delayed procurement and construction, initially slated for 2020.Virgin Hyperloop also has a research and development test track near Las Vegas, Nevada.The Post-Dispatch, Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report.Get local news delivered to your inbox!{{title}}{{summary}}You don't have any notifications.Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.Topics

Get local news delivered to your inbox!Last chance! Subscribe with this special offer to keep readingLoading&amp;hellp;{{title}}{{description}}{{banner}}(renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax){{tagline}}{{special_title}}{{html}}You have permission to edit this article.© 2022 Lee EnterprisesShare ThisMissouri’s hyperloop dreams derailed as Virgin picks West Virginia for test siteShare thisWASHINGTON — has picked West Virginia to host a $500 million certification center and test track for billionaire Richard Branson’s super high-speed travel system.Missouri...

Missouri’s hyperloop dreams derailed as Virgin picks West Virginia for test site

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