High speed rail technology is now sixty years old, at the limits of its aerodynamic design and materials strength. Victorian Britain, full of self belief and engineering confidence, built the British Rail network, establishing us as the most advanced Country in the world. This pioneering spirit evaporated in post war socialist Britain and having developed the tilting advanced passenger train in the 1980’s we abandoned it. The Italians purchased the technology, perfected it and sold it back to us in the form of Virgin Pendolinos which run on the West Coast mainline.

       We have stretched the technology as far as it can go. It has had its uses, in particular connecting Britain to the continent through Eurostar. A company I'm involved with, J Brand Ltd, has worked on that line over the years in an electrical support role so I’m aware of the effort that has gone into maintaining it. Through my own numerous wasteful trips to Brussels as an MEP I was grateful for the time it saved me.

       But it’s naive to think that success can be replicated elsewhere, especially 30 years later. Technology has moved on, and so should we.

       Hyperloop is a new experimental train design employing the use of established UK developed Maglev technology. Magnetic levitation occurs when an object is suspended in air using only magnetic fields. This lifts the train car above the track while the propulsion comes from the force of like magnets repelling and opposite magnets pulling. There are Maglev trains operating in China and Japan reaching speeds of 375 mph, cutting journey times and creating less emissions than either a conventional high speed train or short haul flight, directly as a result of reduced friction.

       Indeed Britain once had a lead in Maglev technology and it was used at Birmingham airport between 1984-95 for their popular and cheap to run shuttle. Hyperloop is a further technological advance using an amalgamation of proven technologies and combining Maglev technology with vacuum pumps thereby cutting air resistance and friction. It operates in a tube either above or below ground, is noiseless and has no exposed high voltage lines. It also uses less land than will be required for HS2.

       Elon Musk has identified Hyperloop as a viable means of more efficient transport for both goods and people. Virgin Hyperloop has already proved the concept in Nevada in November 2020 with Missouri in the running to have the world’s first hyperloop connecting the State’s two largest metropolitan areas, Kansas City and Missouri. The journey time for the 248 mile journey could be reduced from over five hours to around 30 minutes!