It’s been almost a decade since Elon Musk came up with the idea for the Hyperloop and then threw it out into the world. In that time, several entities have attempted to exploit the idea. There have been test runs, and some, like Virgin Hyperloop, have even conducted passenger tests.

But although the company under Richard Branson’s banner has taken the step of sending its former head on a trip in one of its pods, sadly, that’s as far as it goes. Plans for passenger transportation are being abandoned, with the result that 111 staff are being made redundant.

Overhyped Hyperloop

The Financial Times reports that almost half of Virgin Hyperloop’s staff are being canned. This comes as the company switches focus from passenger to cargo transportation. The reason for this, according to a spokesperson, “…really has more to do with global supply chain issues and all the changes due to Covid.”

Which makes a sort of sense. People don’t really have to be anywhere in a hurry as much as they did back in 2019. You know, the Before Times? On the other hand, we really, really want stuff delivered as fast as possible. And then there’s the whole speed angle. It’s one thing to send a fully-packed cargo pod zooming through an underground vacuum tube at 1,250km/h. It’s another thing entirely to do that with a car full of people. If you’re looking to develop a technology like the Hyperloop, it’s probably cheaper and faster to do away with human test dummies for a while.

DP World (stop sniggering), an Emirates-based logistics company with a majority stake in Virgin Hyperloop, explained as much. A representative said, “It’s abundantly clear that potential customers are interested in cargo, while passenger is somewhat farther away. Focusing on pallets is easier to do — there is less risk for passengers and less of a regulatory process.”

Source: Financial Times