The Daily Telegraph

Virgin’s hyperloop plan is accelerate­d by Spanish facility

- By James Cook

SIR Richard Branson has taken a step towards realising his ambitious plans of launching a 760mph “hyperloop” that can transport passengers between cities within minutes.

Virgin Hyperloop One, chaired by Sir Richard, is building a research and developmen­t facility in Spain. The Hyperloop office will be the company’s first expansion to Europe, and the 19,000 sq metre (204,514 sq ft) facility is planned to open in 2020.

The futuristic hyperloop transport system aims to enable people to travel up to 760mph using a pod propelled through a low-pressure tube. Sir Richard says it could cut down the four-anda-half-hour journey from London to Edinburgh to 45 minutes.

In February, it made a deal with the Indian state of Maharashtr­a to build a 75-mile route from Mumbai to Pune.

The Spanish government is helping to fund the new facility with €126m (£112m) in loans and grants, a Virgin Hyperloop One spokesman said.

Hyperloop originated as an idea from Tesla founder Elon Musk.

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