Following the closure of the startup Hyperloop One in December 2023, The Scotsman newspaper looked at the future possibility of using Hyperloop technology to connect Edinburgh with London. While the University of Edinburgh’s team expressed optimism, other UK academics expressed pessimism, pointing to the high cost of the technology. The newspaper published the cautiously optimistic view expressed by Dr Avital in its story:

“Hyperloop technology is very challenging and requires significant resources. This high risk of development, sadly, may not make Hyperloop One’s struggle to secure funding entirely surprising. Nevertheless, other smaller startups continue working in this area.

As with any other breakthrough technological development, this challenge certainly brings wider technological benefits in terms of high speed aerodynamics and studying the effects of high speed transport on the human body.

Hence, I am certain universities worldwide, including Queen Mary, will continue to encourage and support students, including our own London Hyperlink team, to enthusiastically engage in related educational and research activities.”

Learn more about Queen Mary's Hyperloop Society, Hyperlink, on: https://www.qmsu.org/groups/hyperlink/ and https://www.linkedin.com/company/hyperlinkhyperloop/

Updated by: Eldad Avital