When Hardt Hyperloop announced its restart last week, RTV Noord wanted to know what the Delft students think about it. So they asked us.
To be honest, we found out the same way a lot of people did: on LinkedIn. But we were really happy to hear it. Our project manager Loek Westerik told RTV Noord it's great news, and good for hyperloop as an idea. (You can read our own take here.)
Why Veendam matters to us
Our test track in Delft is about 20 metres long. That's enough to check whether a pod floats, but not to really speed up. The 420-metre tube at the European Hyperloop Center in Veendam gives a pod much more room to accelerate. That's why Loek called Veendam "our example".
He also explained where student teams fit in. Companies have to work within rules and structures, and they carry huge costs: getting a test facility up and running costs tens of millions. We don't build the network ourselves, so we have room to try ideas that are a bit more out of the box.
Not a replacement for the train
Loek was clear that hyperloop isn't meant to replace trains. It's meant to add to them, by linking cities like Berlin, Paris and Munich. This year, our goal is Schiphol to Berlin in 55 minutes, and Loek sees Groningen as a logical place to start a first reference line.
Will we test in Veendam this year? Probably not. Our schedule towards the European Hyperloop Week in Zürich next July is tight. But we want to go back as soon as we can.
Read the full article (in Dutch) on RTV Noord.
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