Hyperloop One reaches 387 km/h

DevLoop, North Las Vegas. © Virgin Hyperloop One.

Virgin Hyperloop One has announced that its XPI prototype pod has achieved a new record-breaking speed—it was recently clocked at 387 km/h. This speed surpasses the 300 km/h reached by the French TGVs (“train à grande vitesse”, or high-speed train) used commercially in France, but it’s still a far cry from the TGV trial record of 574.8 km/h set in 2007. It’s also slower than the record set in 2015 by a Japanese train using magnetic levitation, which reached speeds of 603 km/h. And it’s nowhere near Virgin’s 1,080 km/h goal, which hopes to see Montreal a 40 minute ride from Toronto, and Las Vegas a short 30 minute jaunt from Los Angeles. The startup, which was originally known as Hyperloop One, recently changed to Virgin Hyperloop One after receiving significant cash infusions from Virgin.

⇨ Ars Technica, “Virgin Hyperloop One: Now faster than regular TGV but no rail speed record.”