Virgin Group CEO Richard Branson wants to see humans traveling by pod within three years.
After announcing DP World Cargospeed, a joint venture between Virgin Hyperloop One and Dubai-based investor DP World that plans to develop hyperloop transport for cargo, Branson is eying human travel by hyperloop.
“We’re talking about two to three years away, not many years away,” Branson told CNBC. “My children and grandchildren are going to want the same things as I’m going to want—they’re going to want to get to places quicker.”
The concept, first devised by Elon Musk in 2013, seeks to allow the transport of humans and goods via pods in a large underground system that is propelled using magnets. In theory, it should be able to reach speeds of 750 mph
The British billionaire called the venture “tremendously exciting,” touting that such pods, which go at “6, 7, 800 miles an hour” underground, will allow people to avoid traffic jams. Branson told CNBC that he hopes to build hyperloops “in a number of different countries, connecting countries, [which] will bring the world much closer.”
In the Middle East, Hyperloop One has planned routes in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. It also intends to build a route between Mumbai and Pune in India. For now, however, there’s only 10 kilometers of track being built—all of which is in India.