ST. LOUIS BUSINESS JOURNAL — Missouri may be known as the Show Me State, but officials are hoping Missouri will show others it’s a leader in futuristic transportation by establishing the first hyperloop network in the world along the Interstate 70 corridor.
A feasibility study, the first-ever for this technology in the U.S., released Wednesday determined that a hyperloop route from St. Louis to Kansas City along I-70 would be commercially viable.
Travel time between St. Louis and Kansas City could be cut from 3.5-4 hours to as little as 28 minutes, with a stop in Columbia taking about 15 minutes. The study estimated that it correlates to up to $410 million in time savings a year and $91 million in savings from a reduction in accidents along I-70. Demand also could reach between 16,000-51,000 riders per round trip with cost being key. A ticket from St. Louis to Kansas City would be less than the cost of gas to drive, according to Kansas City-based Black & Veatch Corp., which authored the study and is providing engineering services.
