The European Hyperloop Center (EHC) in the Netherlands has conducted the first test of a Hyperloop train, marking a significant milestone in the development of high-speed transportation technologies, this is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

European Hyperloop: First Test Launch of the Vacuum Train
Photo, video: France 24

Hardt Hyperloop, the company overseeing the project, reported that the train successfully traveled the first 90 meters of a 420-meter tube at a speed of around 30 km/h.

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Despite the relatively low speed, this test demonstrated the system’s functionality under vacuum conditions.

The company’s Chief Technology Officer, Marinus van der Meijs, noted that the next phases of testing will focus on increasing speeds to 80-100 km/h, as well as testing the Hyperloop’s ability to switch lanes under low-pressure conditions.

Importantly, all these tests are being conducted at the European Hyperloop Center, which was specifically built to implement key vacuum transport technologies.

In April 2024, the company completed the construction of a 420-meter test tube in the Dutch town of Veendam.

While there are longer test tracks in the world, this project is unique in its integration of all the essential Hyperloop technologies, such as magnetic levitation, lane switching, and ultra-low pressure creation.

The tube consists of 34 sections, each 2.5 meters in width. The project is financed by private investments, with additional support from the government of South Holland province, the Netherlands, and the European Commission.

While Europe continues to advance Hyperloop technology, China is also demonstrating impressive progress.

In August 2024, the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC), in collaboration with Shanxi company, successfully tested the new Hyperloop T-Flight transport system.

This train, operating on magnetic levitation, reached a record speed of 623 km/h in a 2-kilometer vacuum tube. In the future, the Chinese system could reach speeds of up to 1000 km/h, marking a breakthrough in the global transportation industry.

However, not all countries are achieving success in this field. In December 2023, the American Hyperloop One project was shut down, disappointing many supporters of vacuum transport in the U.S.

Despite its initial ambitions, the project failed to attract sufficient investment and faced a range of technical challenges.

Thus, Hyperloop development continues on a global scale, with China and Europe clearly leading the race.

In the coming years, we can expect new achievements that could significantly change the approach to high-speed transportation.

Photo, video: France 24

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