Dutch study shows hyperloop may be substitute to short-haul flights

An artist’s impression of a proposal by Dutch company Hardt Hyperloop to build a hyperloop system linking Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport to major European cities. — Plompmozes/Hardt Hyperloop/via Reuters

LONDON: Passenger-packed pods speeding through vacuum tubes linking Amsterdam's Schiphol airport to European cities could prove a viable low-carbon alternative to short-haul flights, according to a study published on June 10.

Although hyperloop technology, which uses magnetic levitation to allow near-silent travel at airline speeds, has not yet proven feasible in large-scale operations, the airport said it was seriously exploring it as a potential form of sustainable transport.