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Virgin Hyperloop 'could connect Heathrow and Gatwick airport in five minutes' says CEO

Hyperloop One aims to have a hyperloop transporting cargo up and running by 2021
Hyperloop One aims to have a hyperloop transporting cargo up and running by 2021

Virgin Hyperloop One could be used to connect London’s airports “in five minutes” according to the company’s CEO, Rob Lloyd.

The Branson-backed high-speed transport project is still in development, but Mr Lloyd envisages a future when it could join up Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted in super-quick time.

“[We’re] thinking about how technology could make it a much different proposition than the third runway,” Lloyd told The Telegraph. “You’d think of this as moving between terminals instead of moving between airports.”

The company’s technical advisory board estimated it would take five minutes to travel between Heathrow and Gatwick airports, while Heathrow to Stansted would take seven minutes – turning the three airports into one giant transport hub.

Calculations suggest that Hyperloop One, which comprises a series of carriages or pods carried by electric propulsion in a low-pressure tube, could transport people and goods at speeds of up to 670mph (1,080kph).

The aim of the company is to have a fully-operational hyperloop to transport cargo by 2021; however, a paper published by the Department for Transport in December 2017 said a hyperloop in the UK would be “at least two decades away”.

Sir Richard Branson joined the company board in October 2017, investing an undisclosed sum and rebranding it as Virgin Hyperloop One. He claimed that the revolutionary technology could cut journey times between London and Scotland to 45 minutes.

The entrepreneur said in a statement: “After visiting Hyperloop One’s test site in Nevada and meeting its leadership team this past summer, I am convinced this groundbreaking technology will change transportation as we know it and dramatically cut journey times.

“Virgin has been known for investing in and creating innovative companies over the years, and I look forward to making history together as we bring Hyperloop to the world as Virgin Hyperloop One.”

He added: “Virgin Hyperloop will be able to transport people from London to Scotland in 45 minutes.

“I have a funny feeling that I’ll get a lot of satisfaction from people saying it’s transformed their lives.”

The hyperloop concept was originally the brainchild of American inventor and businessman Elon Musk. Although Musk is not directly involved in the company, Hyperloop One is already ahead of the curve, having become the first company in the world to test a full-scale Hyperloop back in May 2017 on its 500m Development Loop (DevLoop) in Las Vegas.