Most everyone who knows me is aware of my mild obsession with Elon Musk’s hyperloop (or as my friends call it now, after hearing one too many informational benders, my “super tube”). It’s a super high-speed mass transportation idea most compare to those tube systems you use in old school bank drive-thru windows. It would allow riders (who sit in pods) to get from Los Angeles to San Francisco in under 30 minutes. And the trip would feel much like being in an airplane.
Yesterday at a Texas Transportation conference, Musk brought the “super tube” one step closer to reality. He announced that he is planning a 5 mile test track “most likely in Texas.” Musk is all about crowdsourcing, so the track will be open for companies and teams of students to test their own concepts. A team in California has been diligently working on its own prototype and this test track will provide more opportunities for collaboration across the nation and globe.
The estimated cost of a hyperloop from San Francisco to LA is about $6B ($7.5B for one that can transport cars too). How does that compare to other transportation projects? The current high speed rail system planned for San Fran to LA has a price tag of almost $70B. That high speed rail project is anticipated to be completed by 2028. Musk says the hyperloop route could be done in 7-10 years.
Is this innovative AND a little bit crazy? Yes! Is that special sauce of innovation and crazy needed to reinvent the economy and boost this country into the future? [Cue the “Animal House” speech music now.] Yes.
Should Rochester’s universities put their hats in the hyperloop ring? Absolutely. And not just because it would be awesome to get from the airport to my house in under 2 minutes. (Before all you “but what about the fast ferry” people chime in, finish the article.)
Innovation made Rochester. And it is the key to its future. We likely won’t have a big Kodak-like company to drive us there. But in light of Governor Cuomo’s announcement this week that Upstate NY regions have to compete for funds, we should remember that we have a highly skilled, intelligent workforce bolstered by technology and science-rich universities and forward-thinking small and mid-size companies. Rochester, unfortunately, also ranks as the fifth poorest city in the country. We need innovation to raise this city up. And we could all ride the super tube together.
In the meantime, support our current public transit system in Rochester!
Will be building a Hyperloop test track for companies and student teams to test out their pods. Most likely in Texas.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 15, 2015
Also thinking of having an annual student Hyperloop pod racer competition, like Formula SAE http://t.co/HV9BLCoMb8 — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 15, 2015
[Image source: spacex.com/hyperloop.]
Written by: Renee
Tags: rochester economy, rochester mass transit, mass transit, hyperloop, elon musk, buffalo economy, rochester economy,
3 Comments
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Why do we need a hyperloop when all we could do is make the bus system better? For instance, the RTS bus takes a sweet one hour to get from RIT to the Southeast quadrant of Rochester. Why not implement frequent shuttle buses so RIT community members like me would actually use the bus?
The hyperloop would be awesome for stuff like getting to Buffalo, the Adirondacks, or NYC, though.
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Yes, Brian. The hyperloop is super cool, but likely not an option for Rochester anytime soon! (I agree that it would be SUPER awesome to get to Buffalo, the ADK and NYC though.)
And I’m a big supporter of mass transit in Rochester. Make some noise at RIT and be an advocate for better bus options so that it will be a practical option for students to come to and from the city and other destinations in the metro area. Also, send your suggestions directly to RTS so they hear it from regular everyday riders. Lastly, join us over at Reconnect Rochester to help create a more accessible, viable and usable mass transit system!
Just so that sucker stops in Rochester. I once went to a presentation on a mag-lev system running from NYC to Buffalo along the Thruway, but it didn’t stop in Rochester because it had to slow down for cities. My reaction was, then what good is it.