Hyperloop to Start Construction in 2016

[Dryson]

https://www.rt.com/usa/313071-hyperl...umatic-spacex/

Remember the hyperloop – the futuristic transportation system that’s faster than an airplane that no one thought possible just years ago? Well, the visionary Elon Musk’s idea just got a new lease on life: we could see construction as early as 2016.

This is a good start to a larger problem solver for space exploration.

How will travelers on the Moon and Mars send cargo and humans between two points the fastest way possible while reducing the cost of such travel?

Could the Hyperloop also be the answer to the Space Elevator question>

 

[sojourner]

Could the Hyperloop also be the answer to the Space Elevator question>

Only if you don't understand the question.

 

[JES]

Ah, I've heard about this. Basically, this would hopefully end up replacing railways.

The endgame: to have national network of tubes, which rail cars traveling at supersonic speeds, which would easily be possible, by taking the air out of these "railway" tubes (due to little to no friction in a vacuum). They are basically subways taken to the extreme. And remember those electromagnetic rail systems? They'll be taken to their logical conclusion. Finally, maglev trains will truly able to shine.

I've heard of the assertion that the military already has a secret network of these in place that travels in between their Deep Underground Military Bases.

If this pans out, either way, there will finally be a system for everyone to use, and I look forward to traveling on one these. Shooting along as supersonic speeds: that will be exhilarating.

Of course, I'm hoping the idea can be taken even further, and that hypersonic speeds might be possible.

Of course, that is assuming that someone doesn't invent a cheaper fuel replacement for aircraft/a new propulsion system, which I'm sure aircraft/airliner companies are want to do/happen.

If this works out well, intercontinental flights might be rendered obsolete, assuming it is cheaper to take the maglev tube. Of course, making international tubes crossing continents will be much harder, so we'll still probably need aircraft for that.

Realistically, problems are maintaining kilometers of these tubes, not to mention building the network of stations in the first place (at least the drilling underground will be easy, since we've had effective boring machines for decades).

 

[HIjol]

Has anybody heard how they plan to generate the gravity for it?

 

[sojourner]

gravity????

Drilling underground is not "easy". It's expensive and takes huge machines years to go short distances.

Don't believe the conspiracy theories about military tunnels crossing the continent.

 

[Lindley]

I've heard of the assertion that the military already has a secret network of these in place that travels in between their Deep Underground Military Bases.

The idea that the government has better technology than the public is silly. They're usually lagging behind.

 

[Silvercrest]

Drilling underground is not "easy". It's expensive and takes huge machines years to go short distances.

Yeah, ask us about Big Bertha up here in Seattle.

 

[HIjol]

or "Deep Tunnel" in Chicago! (not a joke)

 

[Dryson]

Drilling underground is not "easy". It's expensive and takes huge machines years to go short distances.

Yeah, ask us about Big Bertha up here in Seattle.

Yeah digging underground would cost hundreds of trillions of dollars to preform, not just from the machinery being used but paying the workers to keep quiet.

I have to think that the government wouldn't hire civilian workers but would employ construction workers from the military.

I don't see the Hyper loop replacing trains anytime soon because of the shear amount of tonnage that a train can pull compared to a Hyper loop.

The Hyper loop would however reduce a lot of accidents that take place at railroad crossings as well as helping the railroad industry and other freight companies like UPS and Fed Ex with transporting smaller loads.

 

[BillJ]

Sooo... this would be done around the year 2525?

 

[trekkiedane]

"Military underground tunnels"... Isn't that from a Roddenberry-pilot?

 

[Silvercrest]

I dunno ... I'll have to hunt for references.

 

[trekkiedane]

In Planet Earth there is such a thing...

 

[Silvercrest]

Look very carefully at my wording.

 

[Dryson]

If this works out well, intercontinental flights might be rendered obsolete, assuming it is cheaper to take the maglev tube. Of course, making international tubes crossing continents will be much harder, so we'll still probably need aircraft for that.

What about a Hyper Loop that would be laid across the English Channel from Weymouth to Cherbourg that would help increase traffic back and forth between the UK and France?

From the cross section of this map used to build the Chunnel between the UK and France creating a Hyper Loop at 25m or approx. 75 under the surface of the English Channel could allow for colonies to be built under the surface of the English Channel where the Hyper Loop would then be used to transfer the colony inhabitants back and forth to the mainland.

If a colony could built in the English Channel using the Hyper Loop then colonies around the edges of continents could be built as well to house people. The colonies could be used to teach about space and to train people to deal with traveling through the darkness of space.Not to mention having colonies where people could witness underwater life first hand would be cool.

 

[lpetrich]

I'm not impressed with the Hyperloop. It's the latest version of something that has been proposed every now and then for decades, and it's more usually called a vactrain.

I am extremely skeptical about its feasibility. Its whole tunnel has to be evacuated to at least a soft vacuum, like 1% of outside pressure, and it has to stay evacuated along its entire length. It also needs some way of detouring around stopped trains, and for that it needs crossovers, and those need track switches. It also needs airlocks at its stations and likely at its crossovers, airlocks the length of its trains.

To see what will be necessary, look at existing railroad lines. Multiple-track ones typically have numerous crossovers along their lengths. Single-track ones often have lots of passing sidings, as they are called, along their length. Urban and suburban ones are good places to look, since one can often ride their length without spending much money in fares.

I'm not going to claim that a workable Hyperloop/vactrain is impossible, just very difficult, and something that will require a *lot* of R&D and testing. It will also be *much* more expensive than the usual sort of railroad line.

It was originally proposed as an alternative to the California high-speed rail line that's now under construction. That line will be a line much like existing ones in western and eastern Eurasia, and its technical feasibility is no problem, only its political feasibility. However, it has provoked a lot of NIMBY (Not In My Backyard) objection, and if anything an elevated Hyperloop will provoke much more such objection.

 

[Skywalker]

Sooo... this would be done around the year 2525?

If man is still alive.

 

[JES]

I'm not impressed with the Hyperloop. It's the latest version of something that has been proposed every now and then for decades, and it's more usually called a vactrain.

I am extremely skeptical about its feasibility. Its whole tunnel has to be evacuated to at least a soft vacuum, like 1% of outside pressure, and it has to stay evacuated along its entire length. It also needs some way of detouring around stopped trains, and for that it needs crossovers, and those need track switches. It also needs airlocks at its stations and likely at its crossovers, airlocks the length of its trains.

To see what will be necessary, look at existing railroad lines. Multiple-track ones typically have numerous crossovers along their lengths. Single-track ones often have lots of passing sidings, as they are called, along their length. Urban and suburban ones are good places to look, since one can often ride their length without spending much money in fares.

I'm not going to claim that a workable Hyperloop/vactrain is impossible, just very difficult, and something that will require a *lot* of R&D and testing. It will also be *much* more expensive than the usual sort of railroad line.

It was originally proposed as an alternative to the California high-speed rail line that's now under construction. That line will be a line much like existing ones in western and eastern Eurasia, and its technical feasibility is no problem, only its political feasibility. However, it has provoked a lot of NIMBY (Not In My Backyard) objection, and if anything an elevated Hyperloop will provoke much more such objection.

Well, I'm not under the impression that it will be easy, or that it won't take long to complete. It might take decades to complete the lines between the major cities. Even longer if you want to make rail stops for minor cities as well.

But maybe it will also create many much-needed jobs too.

Besides, they'll be capable of speeds way greater than above ground high speed railways.

I also question if we can make a nationwide high speed railway using the railway system already in place. If we're gonna have to start all over from scratch, we minus well go with the more innovative choice. Still, I suppose that a small stretch of railway should be tested, to make sure that it can work out as advertised.

 

[sojourner]

Building it underground between major cities would take centuries and bankrupt nations. Nevermind the geological and technological hurdles involved for no real benefit over building it above ground.

See the channel tunnel project for an example of what it would involve.

 

[Gaith]

The Hyperloop strikes me as a totally awesome idea in search of a compelling reason to exist. Even if windows could be incorporated into the design, traditional high-speed rail lines (of the kind we barely have in the US to begin with) will remain a much more comfortable, civilized and pleasant experience.

Sure, pure speed is nice, but in our increasingly connected age, there's less and less need to get anywhere in a huge hurry. Is the thought of zipping from, say, San Francisco to Las Vegas in half an hour kind of fun? Yeah. Would it benefit society? I don't really see how.