Hyperloop in Europe: Company Lands Agreement With Czech Republic To Build Futuristic Service

Elon Musk’s dream of a world connected by tubes is moving one step closer to existing—at least in Europe. Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT) has agreed to explore the possibility of building a Hyperloop system that would connect Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

The agreement is an extension of an existing contract HTT had with the capital city of Bratislava, Slovakia. HTT will now look at connecting the Hyperloop it is building for Bratislava to the Czech city of Brno, 80 miles away.

The company may also extend the transportation system 140 miles south to Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, should the expansion make sense.

Brno appears to be a particularly good target for HTT, as the Hyperloop system could lighten the load of the city’s public transportation system. Brno is home to one of the oldest railway stations in the world and moves more than 50,000 passengers on a daily basis.

Hyperloop Transportation Technologies also reportedly has an agreement with Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, and is looking into the possibility of building a hyperloop system in Melbourne, Australia.

The plan for these cities is for HTT to build its version of the Hyperloop, a futuristic and high-speed mode of transportation that propels pod vehicles occupied by people through a vacuum tube.

HTT’s agreements with cities across the world follow a recent claim from the company that it raised more than $100 million in investment —though just $31.8 million of that is in cash while the remaining amount accounts for volunteer labor, services rendered, land rights usage and future investments.

“Since we have solved all the technical issues, it is now crucial for us to collaborate with governments around the world,” Dirk Ahlborn, the CEO of HTT, said in a statement. “It is critical for Hyperloop to be working directly with regulators at this stage of development, new rules and frameworks will need to be written as we begin building out systems in Slovakia, the Emirates and several others to come.”

HTT is just one of several companies aiming to bring the hyperloop to the world. One of its primary competitors, Hyperloop One, recently announced a list of 35 semifinalists to its Global Challenge competition designed to identify locations around the world with the potential to house a hyperloop network.

The finalists include 11 teams from the U.S., five from India and four in the United Kingdom. In total, 17 countries from every continent except Antarctica are represented in the collection of semifinalists.