Russia is ready for its own Hyperloop: £8billion project could take you from Moscow to St Petersburg in 30 minutes
- Officials claim Russia is ready to implement such large-scale projects
- Magnetic levitation train could travel at speeds of 1,200 kph (745 mph)
- An initial section would link Baltic Sea ports of St Petersburg to Moscow
- Beyond this, the network could connect the west of the enormous country to the far East, as well as northern regions of Russia
When it comes to the future of Russia’s transport network it may be a case of ‘anything you can do, we can do better’.
Russian rail experts have revealed the country is ready for its own version of Elon Musk’s Hyperloop, in the form of a magnetic levitation train which could shuttle passengers and cargo at speeds of 1,200 km per hour (745 mph).
According to Russian news site RBC, the network would link Western Russia to the Far East and the northern reaches of the enormous country.
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When it comes to the future of Russia’s transport network it may be a case of ‘anything you can do, we can do better’. Russian rail experts have revealed the country is ready for its own version of Elon Musk’s Hyperloop (artist's impression pictured)
Head of St Petersburg Railway Innovation Development Centre, Anatolyi Zaitsev, said that while the project would cost the West an estimated $21 billion (£14bn), Russia could achieve the technological feat with half the budget.
‘The cost of this project by Western standards is $21bn, according to our standards, it is just about half as much, that is $12–13bn,’ Mr Zaitsev told RBC.
He added: ‘In this initial phase of the work we are at the expense of private investors … and have demonstrated magnetic levitation – we can lift any weight.’
Zaitsev, who is the Federation’s former rail minister, confirmed that the first section of the network would link St Petersburg to Moscow in order to transport cargo the 400 miles (640 km) from Baltic Sea terminals.
Earlier this month, Russia’s minister for transport, Maxim Sokolov, said the Federation is ready for such large scale projects. The minister told Russian media that a prototype design for the concept was revealed two years ago.
From Bratislava to Budapest, which takes about two hours to drive or five hours on trains, it would take 10 minutes on Hyperloop. To Košice, a distance of 250 miles, would take only 25 minutes
The Russian project would see the implementation of a large scale super-speed transport system, like that being designed and tested in the US by Elon Musk's firm (illustrated), which could shuttle passengers and cargo around at speeds of up to 750 mph
The Russian minister confirmed that developments such as the Russian Hyperloop-style project could form a key part of the government's transport strategy up to 2030.
In 2014, state-owned Russian Railways reportedly signed a deal to develop a magnetic levitation train line for transporting freight containers.
The Hyperloop is a proposed method of travel that would transport people at 745mph (1,200km/h) between distant locations.
It was unveiled by billionaire head of Tesla and SpaceX Elon Musk in 2013, who said it could take passengers the 380 miles (610km) from LA to San Francisco in 30 minutes - half the time it takes a plane.
According to designs, the system is essentially a long tube which has had the air removed to create a vacuum.
Russian rail experts have revealed the country is ready for its own version of Elon Musk’s Hyperloop, in the form of a magnetic levitation train which could travel at 1,200 km per hour (745 mph). the first section of the network would link St Petersburg to Moscow (pictured) in order to transport cargo the 400 miles (640 km)
Elon Musk's Hyperloop design (illustrated) would run in a vaccuum tube, and be capable of transporting people at 745mph (1,200km/h) between distant locations. The system is still a concept, but initial testing and prototype building is ongoing in the US
The tube is suspended off the ground to protect against weather and earthquakes. Passengers would sit in either individual or group pods, which would then be accelerated with magnets.
Earlier this year, Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT) met with Slovakian government officials to finalise and sign an agreement which would see the transport system brought to Europe.
They are looking to build a local Hyperloop system, with the vision of creating future routes connecting Bratislava with Vienna, Austria and Budapest, Hungary.
According to Wired, Dirk Ahlborn, head of HTT, wants the first stage to be complete by 2020.
But the company has not secured funding yet, and the project is expected to cost $200-300 million (£141 – 211 million).
An artist's concept of the inside of a Hyperloop pod shows it could potentially seat three people per row (pictured), but may be a tight squeeze
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