Details of a new futuristic UK transport system which could slash journey times across the north of England have been revealed.
The Northern Arc project aims to create super-fast transport in which passengers and cargo are loaded into a pod and accelerated gradually via electric propulsion through a low-pressure tube.
The concept is a result of Hyperloop One’s Global Challenge which called for proposals to develop its train-in-a-vacuum-tube technology.
Nine European routes have been shortlisted as part of the Global Challenge, including three for the UK, with the Northern Arc being touted as a real possibility.
The Northern Arc route, which covers Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle, Edinburgh and Glasgow, aims to create a coordinated, government-backed, deliverable proposal which will connect Scotland with Northern Powerhouse partners to create a super-region and showcase the north of England as a global leader of transport innovation.
Using the Hyperloop One technology, the route has the potential to connect 10.4 million people across six cities in the north with the total journey time of 47 minutes. A full-scale test track of the technology has already been built in the UK.
The scheme is being backed by the North East Local Enterprise Partnership and has involved local councils, the government and other authorities.
Newcastle firm Ryder Architecture and engineer Arup are also involved in the project.
Paul Bell, partner at Ryder Architecture, one of the businesses pioneering the scheme, said: “Northern Arc is more than a Hyperloop route – it is the economic region that the Northern Powerhouse should be and we’re excited to be involved in this pioneering opportunity.”
The nine European routes being considered by Hyperloop One are:
- UK Northern Arc (545km)
- UK Scotland-Wales (1,060km) – Cardiff to Glasgow via London in 89 minutes
- UK North-South Connector (666km) – Edinburgh to London in 50 minutes
- Corsica-Sardinia (451km) – Bastia to Cagliari in 40 minutes
- Estonia-Finland (90 km) – Tallinn to Helsinki in 8 minutes
- Germany (1,991km) – a full circle in 142 minutes
- Poland (415km) – Warsaw to Wroclaw in 37 minutes
- Spain-Morocco (629km) – Madrid to Tangier in 47 minutes
- The Netherlands (428km) – a full circle in 41 minutes
