A feasibility study into a Hyperloop test track has been presented to country’s House of Representatives.
The “Hyperloop in the Netherlands” research, which was conducted by a consortium that included UK consulting engineer Arup and the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research, argues in favour of a 5km test track in Vogelweg in Flevoland, in the centre of the country.
The study argues that a test track would create jobs, secure intellectual property in Dutch and give the country a say in the evolution of European standards.
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Dutch firms will also capitalise on the knowledge and expertise gained when, and if, a Hyperloop is built for commercial purposes.
The test facility would explore optimal designs for high-speed switches, pods and stations, and would also demonstrate whether the system could provide sufficient safety, capacity, and comfort, and how costs might develop.
According to the report, in this phase it is still too early to make decisions on commercial routes in the Netherlands. In the future, further studies will be conducted in collaboration with two Hyperloop firms, Hardt from Delft and Hyperloop One from the US.
Hyperloop, if it is ever built, may enable transportation through vacuum tubes at speeds of up to 1,200 km/h.
Earlier this year, a team made up by Dutch contractor BAM and start-up Hardt Global Mobility planned a 30m Hyperloop test facility in the town of Delft.
Click here to read more and download the report.
Image: Europe’s first Hyperloop test facility at Delft Technical University in the Netherlands (BAM/Van Nispen Fotografie)
