Tech Beetle briefing GB

Europe’s Longest Hyperloop Test Track Revives Futuristic Tube Transport Hype

Essential brief

Key facts

Europe's longest hyperloop test track, a 420-meter steel pipe in the Netherlands, has opened to test high-speed tube transport technology.

The track enables experiments on lane switching, a key feature for directing pods to different destinations within a future network.

Despite past setbacks in hyperloop ventures, operators remain hopeful for a 10,000 km European network by 2050, enabling rapid travel such as Amsterdam to Barcelona in two hours.

The technology promises cleaner, quieter, and faster transport but faces challenges including passenger acceptance of windowless pods.

Europe aims to keep pace with global developments, notably China's recent low-vacuum maglev test track opened in 2022.

Highlights

Europe's longest hyperloop test track, a 420-meter steel pipe in the Netherlands, has opened to test high-speed tube transport technology.

The track enables experiments on lane switching, a key feature for directing pods to different destinations within a future network.

Despite past setbacks in hyperloop ventures, operators remain hopeful for a 10,000 km European network by 2050, enabling rapid travel such as Amsterdam to Barcelona in two hours.

The technology promises cleaner, quieter, and faster transport but faces challenges including passenger acceptance of windowless pods.

Europe has inaugurated its longest hyperloop test track in Veendam, the Netherlands, reigniting interest in the futuristic transport concept that combines magnetic levitation with near-vacuum tubes.

This 420-meter-long, forked steel pipe, made of 34 interconnected cylinders, serves as a test bed for the feasibility of high-speed shuttle systems that could one day span a 10,000-kilometer network across the continent by 2050.

Although the current track is significantly shorter than the initially planned 2-mile track and supports speeds far below the proposed 620 mph, it allows engineers to experiment with critical infrastructure elements such as lane switching, where a vehicle changes course to different destinations like Paris or Berlin.

The Dutch company Hardt Hyperloop will conduct the first tests in the coming weeks, marking a pivotal step toward realizing a continent-wide hyperloop network.

The concept, first proposed by Elon Musk in 2013, envisions pods propelled by magnets through low-pressure tubes to minimize friction and air resistance, potentially rivaling airplane speeds.

Despite early enthusiasm, previous ventures such as Virgin Hyperloop have faced setbacks, including company collapses and scaled-back ambitions.

Nonetheless, proponents like Sascha Lamme, director of the European Hyperloop Center, remain optimistic that the technology could transform European travel, offering cleaner, quieter, and faster alternatives to current transport modes.

Lamme envisions a future where passengers could travel from Amsterdam to Barcelona in about two hours, facilitated by a network that grows exponentially once the technology matures.

Challenges remain, including passenger acceptance of traveling in windowless pods, but innovations such as immersive capsule ceilings displaying virtual skies may help ease concerns.

Europe's efforts also position it to compete globally, particularly with China, which opened its own low-vacuum maglev test track in 2022.

While still in early stages, these developments signal renewed momentum for hyperloop technology as a potentially transformative mode of transport.