While the United States’ involvement appears to hang in the balance, hyperloop as a concept is still moving forward. As we’ve seen, China, Europe, and the Middle East all have an interest in the transport system, and will likely have their own functioning hyperloops by the end of the decade. Looking at other infrastructure projects, the outlook is bleak. High-speed rail is a clear comparison, with many European and Asian nations having extensive systems while the United States has nothing. Plans for a high-speed rail network in the U.S. have been floated since the 1960s but have yet to venture beyond the planning stage. In terms of proposals, the most likely are focused on the state level, and the chances of a national network are currently slim.
Despite progress, hyperloop is still in its infancy, and the United States has plenty of opportunity to catch up and even pull ahead in the race to make the futuristic transport method a reality. The engineering side of things seems settled, and it could solve a lot of the country’s problems. Looking at both European and Asian efforts, it does seem like government backing will be needed if an American hyperloop is ever going to exist. While it’s easy to be pessimistic about large-scale infrastructure projects getting off the ground in the United States, there is hope when you look at the construction of the interstate highway system in the 1950s, and the current push for EV infrastructure.
