Below are some current questions and ideas that the citizens of Colorado have and we hope this elevates the civic discourse around Hyperloop in Colorado.

Will Hyperloop add to (car) congestion?

Hyperloop is being built as an on-demand and direct service as stated by both Arrivo, Hyperloop One and other Hyperloop groups. Colorado has a lot of auto congestion along its major highway arteries that serve the cities along the Front Range. Adaption of Hyperloop in Colorado will probably increase travel between these cities. But would a sustainable, rapid transportation option be bad?

However, as stated in the original Hyperloop Alpha white paper, Hyperloop has benefits that current modes of transport do not have:

The corridor between San Francisco, California and Los Angeles, California is one of the most often traveled corridors in the American West. The current practical modes of transport for passengers between these two major population centers include:

1. Road (inexpensive, slow, usually not environmentally sound)

2. Air (expensive, fast, not environmentally sound)

3. Rail (expensive, slow, often environmentally sound)

A new mode of transport is needed that has benefits of the current modes without the negative aspects of each. This new high speed transportation system has the following requirements:

1. Ready when the passenger is ready to travel (road)

2. Inexpensive (road)

3. Fast (air)

4. Environmentally friendly (rail/road via electric cars)

What about passenger rail in Colorado?

ColoradoHyperloop.com is interested in passenger rail in Colorado! We view passenger rail as one transportation layer, among other layers like pedestrian infrastructure and a future Hyperloop infrastructure layer. Rail has been an important solution to making a more green and efficient transportation solution for the Front Range and it services as a lifeline to smaller cities on the Eastern Plains. We are interested in the current legislation (Senate Bill 17-153) in the Colorado State Capital. However, Hyperloop has major differences than rail. Specifically, it is on-demand and direct, environmentally friendly, less expensive and a totally different technology.

Is Hyperloop a waste of a State’s Department of Transportation’s time and money?

Colorado’s rapidly growing population and booming economy make for the ideal location for the development of Hyperloop systems. The opportunity and potential of Hyperloop companies coming to Colorado with test facilities, employees, and direct investment, is a testament to the culture of Colorado innovation that drives the regional economic engine.

Learn more about the Colorado Department of Transportation and their work on the Hyperloop: https://www.codot.gov/programs/roadx/projects-in-motion

People often believe that CDOT (Colorado Department of Transportation) maintains local and residential roads, including neighborhood streets. However, cities and counties are responsible for local and residential roads—not CDOT.

Why not focus on bike, pedestrian, and public transportation before new transportation systems? What about other transportation and social problems?

The great thing about Hyperloop technology right now is that it is currently being developed! Anyone can help shape how it is developed! If you have an idea of how Hyperloop could have publicly owned bus, bike and pedestrian pods, then there should be more promotion of those ideas! There should be more focus on the engineering and economic impact of those public centered features of the Hyperloop system.

What if RTD (Regional Transportation District for Denver) or CDOT operated Hyperloop pods like they do with the Bustang® interregional express bus service? Bustang® connects major populations, employment centers and local transit entities along the I-25 and I-70 corridors. “Connectivity, convenience and comfort are the hallmarks of Bustang’s success in helping further CDOT’s multi-modal mission” and should also be the hallmarks and goals of a Colorado Hyperloop system.

Want to play a part and shape Hyperloop development? There are various companies hiring right now! New Hyperloop focused nonprofits and global groups want you to help them too! You can even assist with public policy outreach for ColoradoHyperloop.com!

What is the projected timeline for connecting Pueblo and Denver with Hyperloop or other regions?

That is a good question. The Hyperloop concept is disruptive as it forces citizens to have a discussion on how do they want to get around the state in 2, 5, 10, 50 years from now. It’s not easy thinking about cities in 10 to 50-year timelines but hopefully, it will change the political discourse and help solve the problem of funding infrastructure in Colorado.

Dis-information about the Hyperloop concept.

Yes, cynical disinformation seeks to inflame existing tensions by putting out viral web stories that would then be republished by local news outlets and on social media to distort political debates about wedge issues (like pedestrian or biking infrastructure, auto and bus infrastructure, or use of high-speed rail). The use of trolls, cynicism, and false information often amplifies and distorts the very real problem of lack of investment in infrastructure in Colorado and they seek to degrade confidence in existing institutions and new technologies.

ColoradoHyperloop.com has reached out to these groups to start a dialogue and will continue to do so in the future. No matter what other groups say, whether you’re getting information out of them, out of others, even out of your crazy uncle… the best way to respond to them is with a positive story.

The citizens of Colorado are well-educated and because of that, we are very resilient to such attempts. But Hyperloop technology does have one thing that fuels the detractors; the game-changing speed of Hyperloop (classic) pods velocity of 670 miles per hour and Hyperloop-ish levitating sleds traveling 200 miles per hour.

ColoradoHyperloop.com has in the past has had meetups and will soon start an online hangout (details to be forthcoming soon, but let us know if you want to assist in this) to make Hyperloop information more public. We are excited to have a positive discussion based on non-hyped facts and real engineering. We agree with the ethos that building good transportation systems today doesn’t exclude researching good transportations systems of tomorrow.

Be sure to sign up for the Colorado Hyperloop newsletter or contact us directly.

Finally, take a look at just a sampling of local reporting about Hyperloop technology in Colorado: