700mph hyperloop moves closer to reality with construction of giant safety valves

The HTT safety valves

Credit: HTT

A hyperloop train system that could transport people at 700mph has moved a step closer to reality thanks to the construction of the world’s first safety valves that can withstand 288,000 pounds of force.

The loop is a proposed form of ultra-fast transportation that was first touted as part of a design released by teams at Elon Musk’s Tesla and SpaceX back in 2013.

The technology relies on tubes with extremely low air pressure to allow a pod — filled with people or freight — to travel free of air resistance or friction.

Since then a host of companies have emerged with the goal of massively reducing travel times associated with flight or rail.

California-based Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT) is working on the development of such a line in Cleveland.

A look at HTT's capsule, which will transport passengers at rapid speeds

Credit: HTT

This week the company revealed that it had built “safety isolation valves” that will allow parts of the tube to be re-pressurised to allow passengers to get out in the case of an emergency. It will also allow segments of the track to be safe for maintenance staff to carry out works.

The valves, which measure 16.5 feet in height, weigh 77,000 pounds and can withstand 288,000 pounds of force. They can also fully open or close within 30 seconds, HTT said.

They have been built “to precise specifications” by Californian firm GNB KL Group. The valves will now be shipped to HTT’s facility in Toulouse in France for integration and certification.

Andres De Leon, the chief executive of HTT, said one of the main questions he received was about how the loop would work in emergency scenarios.

“These valves, built to safety certification standards by a world-class leader, are an essential part of hyperloop safety, as they allow us to isolate portions of the track in the event maintenance is needed or in the rare case of an emergency,” he said.

The hyperloop at HTT's testing facility in Toulouse

Credit: HTT

HTT has already begun work on what it deems to be the world’s first passenger capsule that could work in the hyperloop. The pod could likely carry up to 40 passengers at a time.

The concept of the hyperloop rose to prominence when Elon Musk touted the potential for passengers to travel the 380 miles between Los Angeles and San Francisco in a half an hour, a journey that could take an hour by plane.

In 2013, Mr Musk proposed the technology as "a cross between a Concord, a rail gun and an air hockey table".

HTT is a rival of Ricahrd Branson’s Virgin Hyperloop, which trialled its first passenger journey in Nevada in November. That passenger trial involved a journey of just 395 metres, travelling at 107 miles per hour.

But the technology has plenty of sceptics, who argue the tiny pods would carry far fewer passengers than high speed rail. The high speeds also limit the turns and gradients that hyperloop tunnels can be built on.

While many hyperloop routes have been proposed, none have so far been built as companies try to tempt governments into backing the ambitious projects.