HTT Signs Contract to Build First International Hyperloop System from Slovakia to the Czech Republic
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Hyperloop Transportation Technologies announced today that it has landed an agreement to explore the possibility of creating a hyperloop system from Slovakia to the Czech Republic.
The exploratory agreement was signed with the city of Brno, Czech Republic. Reportedly, HTT will see if it’s feasible to build an 80-mile hyperloop between Brno and the city of Bratislava, Slovakia — the latter of which the startup already holds a development agreement with. Plans also include connecting Brno to Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic — 140 miles away, according to TechCrunch.
Notably, this is the first hyperloop contract that plans to connect two international cities, Yahoo reported. In addition to the Czech agreement, the startup said that it has made some inquiries into building a hyperloop in Melbourne, Australia. HTT reportedly already has a contract with government officials in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
“Since we have solved all the technical issues, it is now crucial for us to collaborate with governments around the world,” HTT CEO Dirk Ahlborn said. “It is critical for Hyperloop to be working directly with regulators at this stage of development, new rules and frameworks need to be written as we begin building out systems in Slovakia, the Emirates and several others to come.”
Despite the new agreement, HTT’s chief competitor, Hyperloop One, may be one step ahead. H1 is already moving forward with its plans to build the first commercial hyperloop in the world — one that would connect the UAE cities of Dubai and Abu Dhabi. That trip, the company teased, would take an alleged 12 minutes. Additionally, the company’s “Global Challenge,” a competition which sought comprehensive plans and models from teams across the world, has already found 35 semifinalist teams from 17 countries. H1 is also preparing for its first live hyperloop test in North Las Vegas, slated to take place within the next three months.
As for HTT, the company recently announced that it had raised $100 million to get its plans rolling. If the Czech agreement is found to be feasible, HTT’s hyperloop system could relieve some of the strain on Brno’s aging train system, which reportedly shuttles around 50,000 passengers a day, TechCrunch reported.
While Elon Musk might have dreamed of a Hyperloop between Los Angeles and San Francisco ferrying passengers in 30 minutes, Slovakia — as one of Europe’s fastest growing economies — is arguably a more natural fit for testing the revolutionary transportation technology, according to Wired.
