HYPERLOOP
With hyperloop research and development advancing like never before the first operating system is on the cusp of becoming a reality. Despite routes being proposed in the United States, United Arab Emirates, India, Scandinavia, and Mexico – at the time of filming, no scheme has received the full commitment of a national government or private corporation. With hyperloop technology maturing at a rapid rate and the concept set to have a revolutionary impact, we’ve theorized 10 routes could change our world. Before we begin, it’s important to explain the criteria that we have used to determine these concepts. While routes from New York to London or from Cairo to Cape Town are impressive to theorize, the technology, logistics, and economics required to make them happen often render them unviable. To determine the most credible proposals, we developed 5 criteria:
Capacity – considering the number of people that each route has the potential to connect. Influence – the importance or influence of each city to its respective region.
Connectivity – the existing connections and the demand for routes between cities. Geological – the consideration of natural barriers like oceans, forests, or mountain ranges that can make routes impractical.
Geopolitical – considering the movement of people across borders, the ability to finance such a hyperloop system, and the degree of cooperation between countries.
TOP 10 HYPERLOOP ROUTES THAT WILL CHANGE THE WORLD
AUSTRALIA ROUTE
First up we have a route that could revolutionize the east coast of Australia. With 80% of the country’s population residing in the eastern states, linking the major economic centers of the nation's largest cities to more affordable regional areas would bring access to new employment and housing opportunities, creating a mega-region along the Pacific coast. The route would link Melbourne to Brisbane, a distance of 1,500 kilometers in less than two hours. Along the way, the “East Australian Hyperloop” would connect to the nation's capital Canberra, Australia's largest city, Sydney, and the regional cities of Newcastle and the Gold Coast. The route would have a catchment of over 14 million people – which is around 60% of Australia’s entire population. Other towns and cities along the route could link to the system as demand rose. With Australia currently laying claim to the second and eighth busiest flight routes in the world, with 54,000 flights between Melbourne and Sydney each year and Sydney to Brisbane seeing 33,000 flights each year, the demand to link these cities and eliminate the time wasted in airports makes a significant case for investing in hyperloop.
JAPAN ROUTE
Renowned for embracing the latest technology and with a densely populated mainland, Japan is a prime candidate for hyperloop. Despite being an archipelago with mountainous terrain, six of the countries seven largest cities lie in relatively close proximity to one another on the main island of Honshu. A hyperloop from Tokyo to the city of Kobe via Yokohama, Nagoya, Kyoto, and Osaka would unite a region of more than 65 million people and that has a combined GDP of more than USD $2.8TN. While Japan has long been a champion of high-speed rail, hyperloop is expected to travel at twice the rate of the country’s bullet trains. This would make the entire trip, end-to-end, less than 35 minutes – compared to the current two and a half hours by bullet train – and open the possibility of working in Tokyo or Kyoto while living in Nagoya where the cost of living is much more reasonable.
CHINA ROUTE
With China’s urban population booming, linking cities more effectively would allow its economy to continue to grow while taking pressure off housing in some of the country’s most densely occupied megacities. Hong Kong and Shanghai are both at the center of two of China's most important mega-regions; the Pearl and Yangtze River Deltas. While China has invested heavily in transport links between these cities, the efficiency of the hyperloop system is almost impossible to compete with. Covering 1,700 kilometers in a cross-country arch, the entire route would get you from Hong Kong to Shanghai in less than two and a half hours. This route has the potential to make inland cities like Wuhan and Changsha much more influential, sitting at the heart of a route just over an hour from the economic hubs that make up 40% of the Chinese economy. 
INDIA ROUTE
Set to become the world’s most populated country by 2025, India is extremely well placed to benefit from an end-to-end hyperloop route. With the number of flights between Delhi and Mumbai reaching 47,000 in 2017 – it's no wonder this region is the first in a series of major industrial corridors that are planned for the country. The USD $100BN Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor – or DMIC – is one of the world’s largest infrastructure projects. Its objective is to link India's major cities, allowing them to draw on one another's manufacturing, logistical, and human resources and helping the nation become a world leader in manufacturing. With Mumbai, Delhi, and Kolkata each expected to have populations in excess of 50 million by 2100, an end to end hyperloop system would have a catchment area of over 200 million people. At 4,000 kilometers in length, this route would put all three centers less than two hours apart in either direction, greatly boosting the region.
EUROPE ROUTE
When it comes to international routes for hyperloop, one of the most important elements to consider is financial cooperation to fund the project and the ease at which people can move between countries. The fundamentals of the European Union (EU)address these criteria very directly. While Brussels is widely accepted as the “capital” of the EU, administrative functions and branches also sit in Strasbourg and Luxembourg. Combine this with the European Central Bank located in Frankfurt and Europol in the Hague and the process of moving politicians and government officials between these five centers can present a logistical headache for bureaucrats. Linking these administrative regions with economic centers along the route like Antwerp, Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Dusseldorf, Cologne, and Paris, could create an efficient loop that connects over 25 million people and puts each city less than an hour from the others.
UK ROUTE
The UK’s thriving capital has living costs far above the national average, housing prices that are unattainable for most, and an infrastructure system that is continually playing catch up. While other cities offer a more affordable option, the draw of big business to London means that many people have little choice but to work there. By connecting the high-paying jobs of the capital to the more affordable economic and manufacturing centers in the midlands and northern regions, the UK could address issues like housing, the pay squeeze, and infrastructure spending. While high-speed rail projects to connect the southeast and the Midlands are already under development, a hyperloop between Edinburgh and London would bring the cities within 45 minutes of each other and connect four of the country’s largest urban areas.
SOUTH AMERICA ROUTE
While not as well-known as the European Union, the countries of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay are all members of a trade bloc known as Mercosur or the Southern Common Market. This “proto-union” currently exists as a customs union with aims to promote, free trade, freedom of movement, and eventually a single currency. Like the EU, the inter-cooperation between these countries makes this region of South America a prime candidate for hyperloop. Linking the largest cities in all four countries, this hyperloop would create South America’s largest political and economic entity consisting of over 50 million people. While the entire 2,700-kilometer route would take three hours to travel – significantly faster than the five hours required to check-in and fly – the main beneficiaries would be Sao Paulo and Rio who currently lay claim to the 5th busiest flight routes in the world.
NORTH AMERICA ROUTE
Known as the BosWash agglomeration, the North East of the United States is the most densely populated region of North America. Consisting primarily of Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington DC, these cities form a near unbroken urban link running for over 630 kilometers. With more than 40 million people in the catchment area, this hyperloop could connect the nation's capital with its largest city and beyond in under 50 minutes.
USA TEXAS TRIANGLE ROUTE
Texas is America's second-largest state in both size and population, but unlike the dense Northeast – its economic centers are spread further apart, placing limits on where people can live and work. Houston, San Antonio, and Dallas are the state’s largest cities and three of the largest in the United States forming a region that has become known as the Texas Triangle. Linking these cities and broadening their economic reach would further diversify their economies while providing more employment and housing opportunities for Texans across the state. The state capital of Austin, as well as Fort Worth, would also be added to the loop creating an economic region of over 18 million people with access to jobs in the state government, space agencies, oil, telecommunications and aviation sectors – all in under 30 minutes from any direction.
USA CALIFORNIA ROUTE
Much like Texas, California is a large and populous state with far spread economic centers. Distinct economies have formed in cities across the state – such as entertainment in Los Angeles, technology in the San Francisco Bay area, and manufacturing in San Diego. While this concentration of specific industries is good for jobs, the cost of living in these cities has risen to levels that most people simply cannot afford. With San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, San Diego, and Los Angeles making up five of the 10 most expensive cities in the United States, connecting these centers to more affordable regions would open up a range of housing options, addressing the critical challenges of affordability and lagging infrastructure. The Californian hyperloop could begin in San Diego and head north through Los Angeles before connecting the regional cities of Bakersfield and Fresno to San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland and finally, the states capitol Sacramento Including the more affordable Fresno and Bakersfield at the midpoint on this 900-kilometer journey puts them less than 30 minutes from any portal along the route and would make commuting to any of California's economic hubs significantly easier.
Did your city make our list of our suggested routes? Which regions would you like to see connected by hyperloop in the future? Let us know in the comments below.
