The Missouri Hyperloop Coalition—a public-private partnership that includes the Missouri Dept. of Transportation, the University of Missouri and other public stakeholders—announced on Jan. 30 an agreement to produce a feasibility study for a 248-mile hyperloop route, connecting Kansas City, Columbia, Mo., and St. Louis.
Virgin Hyperloop One would construct and operate the proposed route, which is sited in the Interstate 70 corridor. The drive between St. Louis and Kansas City now takes roughly three hours and 40 minutes. Hyperloop One says it can cut that trip down to about 31 minutes. Overland Park, Kansas, engineering firm Black & Veatch, in partnership with Virgin Hyperloop One and the University of Missouri, will conduct the feasibility study. A hyperloop is a sealed tube or system of tubes through which passengers or objects can travel in a pod at a high speed, free of air resistance or friction.