The inaugural passenger journey on the Transcontinental Hyperloop completed today, carrying 28 passengers from Manhattan to Los Angeles in exactly 44 minutes and 37 seconds—faster than most New York subway commutes.
760 MPH Across America
Traveling through near-vacuum tubes using magnetic levitation, the Hyperloop pods reached a peak velocity of 760 mph—just below the speed of sound. Passengers reported the experience was eerily smooth, with less vibration than a commercial airplane and none of the pressure changes.
"It felt like sitting in a luxury lounge that happened to be teleporting across the country," said Maya Rodriguez, one of the first paying passengers. "I had a coffee, answered some emails, and suddenly I was in LA. It doesn't feel real."
A $280 Billion Engineering Marvel
The 2,800-mile tube system represents the largest infrastructure project in American history, employing over 200,000 workers across 11 states during its eight-year construction. The route runs primarily underground through urban areas and elevated above the Great Plains, with engineering marvels including a 47-mile tunnel beneath the Rocky Mountains.
"We've essentially folded the country in half. What used to be a six-hour flight or a four-day drive is now a lunch break."
The End of Short-Haul Flights
Airlines are scrambling to respond. Delta and United have already announced plans to terminate NYC-LA routes, unable to compete with Hyperloop's 45-minute journey time, $299 ticket price, and zero carbon emissions. Industry analysts predict short-haul flights under 1,000 miles will largely disappear within a decade.
The environmental impact is substantial. Each Hyperloop journey uses roughly 1% of the energy of an equivalent flight, powered entirely by solar panels lining the tube exterior.
Station Experience
Hyperloop terminals more closely resemble Apple Stores than traditional transit hubs. The Manhattan station, located beneath Hudson Yards, features biometric ticketing—passengers simply walk through a scanner that identifies them, charges their account, and directs them to their pod. No lines, no boarding passes, no security theater.
Pods depart every 3 minutes during peak hours, with capacity for 28-40 passengers each. Private pods are available for premium fares.
What's Next
Construction has already begun on branches to Chicago, Miami, and Seattle. International talks are underway for a Montreal-NYC link and—more ambitiously—a theoretical transatlantic Hyperloop connecting New York to London via Iceland and Ireland.
The way Americans think about distance is about to change forever. When any city is less than an hour away, the very concept of "local" loses meaning.