Prospective passengers who want to find out more about the Virgin Hyperloop can now watch a video that shows what a super high-speed trip will be like for them.

The company today (Thursday) released a video simulation of the passenger experience showing people boarding a pod at a futuristic portal and then travelling between cities within minutes.

DP World, the Dubai-based port and logistics giant, is a major investor in Virgin Hyperloop.

Video: DP World-backed Virgin Hyperloop releases passenger concept video

Last year, Virgin Hyperloop tested the system with real passengers for the first time in the desert near Las Vegas, Nevada, in the United States.

Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, group chairman and CEO of DP World and chairman of Virgin Hyperloop, said: “Showing the passenger experience of Virgin Hyperloop is a glimpse of the future, following the success three months ago when people rode in a hyperloop pod for the first time.

“We have demonstrated the maturity of our technology. We are getting closer to commercialisation of what will be the first new mass-scale transportation mode in a century.”

Sara Luchian, Virgin Hyperloop’s director of passenger experience, said Hyperloop technology is ‘paradigm-shifting’.

“It follows that the passenger experience should be nothing short of extraordinary,” she said.

As well as the sounds and appearance of the passenger experience, Virgin Hyperloop revealed the potential cost of travelling on the Hyperloop. In a press release, the company said it would be more akin to the cost of driving than flying. 

“It’s simple. If it’s not affordable, people won’t use it,” said Jay Walder, CEO of Virgin Hyperloop. “Daily high-speed transport is currently not feasible for most people, but we want to change that notion. Imagine being able to commute between cities that are currently hours apart in minutes – and the endless possibilities that opens up.”

Hyperloop technology works by passing passenger pods down high-pressure tubes at speeds of up to 1,000km per hour.

It has been described by DP World as a ‘zero emission propulsion system’ which can be completely unplugged from the grid.

Virgin Hyperloop has mooted the possibility of connecting cities across the Middle East with each other, including Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Saudi Arabian cities, and has agreed to conduct a feasibility study in Bangalore, India.

(Writing by Imogen Lillywhite; editing by Seban Scaria)

(imogen.lillywhite@refinitiv.com)

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