A train ride from New York to Washington, D.C., in 29 minutes? Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk said it's possible, and added that a plan to build a Hyperloop One underground tube train has been given "verbal (government) approval," NPR reported.
Musk said that the Hyperloop’s planned route would run from New York and include stops in Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington. The train would run from city center to city center, NPR reported.
The stations would have “up to a dozen or more entry/exit elevators” in each city, Musk said.
"With Hyperloop One, passengers and cargo are loaded into a pod and accelerate gradually via electric propulsion through a low-pressure tube," the company says. "The pod quickly lifts above the track using magnetic levitation and glides at airline speeds for long distances due to ultra-low aerodynamic drag."
Musk tweeted that the government had given verbal approval to build the Hyperloop, but added a clarification that there is “a lot of work needed” to get the final OK.
The Hyperloop had its first public test last summer, with a successful run in the Nevada desert. Last week, it completed its first full systems test in a vacuum environment, NPR reported.
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