Let’s imagine a Hyperloop connection in Detroit

Since we can’t seem to reach a consensus on what transportation should look like in Detroit or southeast Michigan right now, why not think about what it could be in broader, bolder terms?

Earlier this week, Hyperloop Transportation Technologies and the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA) unveiled plans for the Great Lakes Hyperloop. Earlier in February, the Illinois Department of Transportation and the NOACA signed a letter of intent and a memorandum of understanding for the partnership.

New to Hyperloop? Per their description, “Hyperloop is a system that moves people and goods at unprecedented speeds safely, efficiently, and sustainably. Passengers and cargo capsules will hover through a network of low-pressure tubes between cities. Proprietary passive magnetic levitation and a linear induction motor combined with a tube environment in which air has been drastically reduced allow the capsules to move at high speed with nearly zero friction.”

It could move at speeds up to 760 m.p.h., and the trip from Chicago to Cleveland would be about 28 minutes. A teaser video shows more connections around the Great Lakes, including Detroit, Toronto, and Pittsburgh.

A Hyperloop would make commuting between these cities faster and cleaner. It could also become part of a larger connection of Hyperloop cities around the country.

Currently, the public private partnership will start a $1.2 million feasibility study for the Great Lakes project.

This all seems very far-off, but it’s exciting to consider the possibilities for easier transportation between major cities in the region and the country.

More information can be found at Great Lakes Hyperloop.