Next stops for the 70omph Hyperloop tube … Slovakia, Austria and Hungary

It is seen as the future of travel - a 700mph tube link which can cut journey times between distant cities from hours to minutes. And now, the Hyperloop, an idea born in Silicon Valley, could be heading to the unlikely European destination of Slovakia. Hyperloop Transportation Technologies has struck a deal with the Slovakia government and hopes to connect the country with Austria and Hungary with the system. A journey from Bratislava to Budapest via Vienna can take up to five hours by train. But that journey could be cut to just 18 minutes if and when the system is fully operational, the company says.

Slovakia is a technological leader in the automotive, material science and energy industries, many of the areas that are integral to the Hyperloop system

Dirk Ahlborn, chief executive of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies

Hyperloop is the brainchild of  SpaceX and Tesla founder Elon Musk, who is allowing companies to use his concept. Blueprints for the futuristic tubular transport system have already been put forward in the US but this the the first concrete proposal for the system elsewhere in the world. The first section of the loop - which will be used for testing initially - will be completed by 2020. Eventually, it could connect the two sides of Slovakia, a journey which takes more than four hours by car.

A transportation system of this kind would redefine the concept of commuting and boost cross-border cooperation in Europe.

Slovakia’s economic minister Vazil Hudak

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